Women's Track & Field | 7/10/2026 12:37:00 PM

The winters in Loretto are legendary. To understand them, you must experience one. Ask just about any Saint Francis alum, surviving those cold months is a badge of honor.
 
While snow days were a rarity, Anna Hoffman recalls one such morning.
 
"The snow and cold temperatures forced all classes to be canceled. We still held our practice," she said. "As everyone stayed inside, we were out running laps around the mall. The winters made us stronger."

The miles Hoffman tracked in Loretto are perhaps a metaphor for her career. It wasn't always smooth or predictable, but she consistently pushed forward becoming one of the most accomplished distance runners in Saint Francis history. Later this month, she'll earn a place in the Athletics Hall of Fame.

Hoffman was destined to be a runner. Her grandfather ran. Her father competed in college.
 
"I did my first 5K at 12 years old and I was pretty good," Hoffman said. "I also played soccer, but once I got into high school, I focused on track and cross country. I never looked back."

At Mohawk High School, Hoffman qualified for the Pennsylvania state championships all four years in both cross country and track, earning two state medals, including a fourth-place finish as a junior. But mononucleosis during her senior season changed the recruiting landscape.

As larger Division I programs backed away, Saint Francis offered Hoffman an opportunity.

"I committed early because it gave me the chance to run Division I," she said.

Hoffman arrived in Loretto just as the University completed its outdoor track. Despite limited resources, the school had a knack for attracting talented runners.

"We didn't care about pace," Hoffman said. "We just ran for times. It was before all the technology and smartphones. We'd go out for 60 or 80 minutes and nobody was worrying about what their phone or watch said."

Hoffman battled the hills in Loretto but also had to overcome instability within the program. She competed under three coaches in four seasons.

"It forced to become more independent, but I also had some great mentors. Mircea Bogdan was fantastic. I owe a lot to him."

Bodgan is a highly decorated distance runner and accomplished coach. He won the NCAA Division I steeplechase championship at UTEP and also represented Romania in the 2008 Olympics.  He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Saint Francis.
 
"My role in Anna's success was to make her trust herself and give her the confidence she needed to do all the amazing things she did," Bodgan said. "When Anna became confident, she was unstoppable."
 
"I'm a distance runner, but if you look at my results all my success on the track was because of him," Hoffman said.

Hoffman collected eight gold medals and 13 All-NEC honors during her career. She won the 5,000 meters five times while also capturing conference titles in the 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase.

"Anna was very coachable, which is a huge thing in someone's success," Hoffman said. "I remember in most of the championship races, she would know exactly where I was standing and giving her feedback. She would look at me to see if she had the green light to take over a race. And she executed that perfectly."

Hoffman became the runner others looked up. Named a team captain as a sophomore, she also excelled in the classroom as an honors student.

That same drive and determination continued after graduation. Today she works as an Autistic Support Teacher at North Allegheny and she's still running.

Hoffman has competed in 10 marathons and has twice won the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge in Pittsburgh, setting the women's course record

"I never wanted to be the best runner on the team. I wanted to be pushed," Hoffman said. "Looking back, I appreciate that Saint Francis provided me the opportunity to run against some of the best."

 

Hall of Fame Reflections

"I knew how much Anna cared about running, doing well and not letting anyone down. That also pushed me to give my best when coaching her. Looking back, coaching Anna was an absolute delight, and I am very happy for her unbelievable and inspiring career and the fact that I played a part in it. Coaching Anna, in my very early years as a coach, reminds me why I joined coaching in the first place. I would not change a thing." — Mircea Bogdan, Chapman University assistant cross country coach

"Anna had a phenomenal collegiate career. That record speaks for itself. What is truly remarkable, though, has been watching Anna, over the long term, build on the academic and athletic foundations she established at Saint Francis with grace and dogged determination. She continued her academic training, earning additional certifications, and has become a leader in the field of autism education. All the while, through dark early-morning training runs and high-mileage weekends, without fanfare, coaches, trainers or the lure of a conference championship, Anna has quietly conquered distances and achieved times at the highest levels. Her pure love of the sport and the courage to reach her fullest potential, coupled with the vocation she lives out every day, are truly to be admired and celebrated. Congratulations, Anna!" — Kate Remillard (Wallace), Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2011