New Diversity Scholarship Will Help Track, Cross Country Teams

Coach and former teammates work together to guarantee Division I teams remain diverse

Sacred Heart University’s long-time track & field/cross country coach, Christian Morrison, has collaborated with two alumni to develop an endowed scholarship for students of color to ensure the team remains diverse and inclusive.

The scholarship came about after racial unrest spread across the nation last year, following the deaths of George Floyd and other unarmed Black people. John Kenworthy ’09 watched the news reports and, like many others, he was appalled by the killings of Black men and women. In particular, he was shocked at the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was murdered a month before Floyd while out for a run. Kenworthy is head coach for the cross country/track men’s and women’s teams at Siena College in Loudonville, NY, and he works with young runners every day. Following news reports about how a retired, white police detective and his adult son allegedly drove after Arbery, confronted him and allegedly shot him, Kenworthy recognized that running is a white privilege.

“I wanted to continue to be an ally for the Black community,” said Kenworthy, who ran cross country and indoor and outdoor track for SHU.

This led Kenworthy to contact his former teammate, Sarana Hyatt ’09, ’11, who ran hurdles and jumps and participated in the heptathlon for SHU track & field. Since then, Hyatt has worked as an assistant coach for track and field teams at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA, Columbia University in New York City and George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She worked as a track and field head coach at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. Last summer, Hyatt was asked to join the John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative, a coach-driven effort that provides minorities with a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences and opportunities to build their network, all while instilling the values of McLendon, the first Black basketball coach at a predominately white institution and the first Black head coach of any professional sport.

“How many of our [students] are out for a run?” was one of Hyatt’s reactions when she learned about Arbery’s murder. She said Arbery could have been any one of her student-athletes.

Hyatt and Kenworthy discussed what they could do to provide opportunities for people of color. They came up with an idea for a scholarship offered at their alma mater. Hyatt said the scholarship isn’t just about having diverse team; it is also about providing equity and a means of support.

“We have a real opportunity here to think about diversity,” she said, clarifying that the goal is not just diversity for diversity’s sake; it’s also to ensure that people on the team build relationships and learn from one another. “This is an opportunity to educate and to grow people,” she said.

The former teammates took their ideas about the scholarship to SHU administrators and garnered enthusiasm—especially from Morrison, SHU’s track & field/cross country coach for 27 seasons. With his involvement, plans for the Diversity Scholarship for Sacred Heart University Track & Field/Cross Country came to fruition. The scholarship will benefit one female and one male undergraduate and/or graduate student of color on the track & field/cross country teams.

SHU’s track & field/cross country team is already diverse, Hyatt said. She pointed out that Morrison could have very easily passed on the scholarship, but instead he recognized the importance of having diverse teams for years to come. “He continues to inspire us,” Hyatt said.

Commitment to diversity

Morrison, who founded the track & field team in 1994, said the endowed scholarship is making a statement. “This is about our program and what we aspire to be,” he said. “This is another way, another avenue, to continue to attract a diverse population.”

Track & field is a comprehensive sport, and not every college team is as large as SHU’s, Morrison said. There are throwers, sprinters, jumpers, distance runners and more. “I’m fortunate to work at a University that believes in a comprehensive team and one that is diverse,” he said.

Additionally track & field/cross country is the pathway to college for many young people of color, Kenworthy said. It gives students access to an education they might not otherwise receive. The SHU scholarship helps guarantee those students get the aid they need to reach graduation.

Sacred Heart’s team currently comprises about 80 female and 60 male student-athletes. Over the years, the team has claimed 16 Northeast Conference team championships, 21 Northeast Conference team runner-up finishes, 47 individual New England championships, 149 individual Northeast Conference championships and three NCAA Division I All-Americans.

The fact that Kenworthy and Hyatt—a decade removed from SHU—still think of the SHU program as “theirs” means a lot to Morrison. He said their desire to give back is great, and he’s excited to have a hand in establishing the scholarship.

For information on how to apply for or donate to the scholarship, visit the webpage.