ST. LOUIS, Mo. – When you come to campus, you feel like you are part of a family. At least that is what Washington University in St. Louis women's track and field team senior Elizabeth (Lizzie) Wagner felt.

A native of Webster Groves and a graduate of John Burroughs, Wagner had not just teammates to call family, but her two siblings, Annalise and John Harry, are graduates of WashU. Both were track and field team members who helped the program achieve not just individual success but national success as well.

"We had all gone to John Burroughs," mentioned Wagner.

For the Bears, Annalise was an All-American in the 800m and DMR, while John Harry competed in the 400m and DMR, winning the 2019 4x400m national title.

When asked about the comparison to her older siblings, Wagner has left that behind her.

"It was a bigger problem when people on the team knew them," she remembered. "There was a lot of pressure on me when I was a freshman, saying 'your brother and sister won a national championship, when are you going to?' That was a little bit tough."

Wanting to be her own athlete pushed her to get beyond any likeness to her family members and be her own athlete. So, when it came to sports, Wagner initially wanted to do her own thing, basketball, and to stay away from WashU.

"I was actually very anti-WashU at first," mentioned Wagner. "Oh, not because of anything to do with the school, but just because I had been around WashU track meets my whole life and I had some of that youngest sibling rebellion."

It wasn't just WashU she was against at first, but track in general. She had only started as a sophomore in high school as a way to get better in basketball, but it turned out she was better in track than she was in basketball. And once she started looking at colleges as a high school junior, she thought that maybe she could do this in college.

But still, WashU was not her top choice. Her first thought was UAA opponent Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and she even looked at NYU in New York. She loved the cities but then pretty quickly it became clear that WashU is "far superior to a lot of places and that the community that the track program provides, the personal growth that it emphasizes, and then in terms of academics the culture is pretty unmatched," she added.

With both her siblings previously on the team and competing in the same event group as she was, she already knew the coaching she would receive.

"I am certainly a different athlete than both of them," she mentioned. "I mean, I am a different person, and there are a lot of unique challenges in being my own person and athlete and coach Reiter helped with that."

Assistant coach Gordon Reiter coached both her siblings and even helped convince her father to get a hip replacement, so Wagner knew he was going to help her come into her own.

"It never worried me that he would compare me to my siblings," continued Wagner. "It's clear that he valued me for who I wanted to be. He's a really incredible coach in terms of caring about his athletes' well-being and person beyond their abilities as an athlete."

"As the third Wagner, there was naturally some self-comparison early on, but she has moved beyond that and truly found her own identity as a sprinter and hurdler," mentioned head coach Jeff Stiles. "She has embraced a new path, and it's been exciting to watch her progress. Switching events played a big role in that growth, as she moved away from the same events as her brother and sister and is now specializing in the 400 hurdles, where she continues to develop and thrive."

On the track, Wagner has continued to push not only herself but her teammates as well. Indoors, she has continued to improve every season, including a new personal best in the 800m with a time of 2:19.24 that she set at the first meet in 2026.

"Two years ago, Coach Reiter asked if Wagner could join our group and I said we're all Bears, one team, one family, of course she can run with us," commented associate head coach Ray Williams. "Right away I could see the fear in her eyes and self-doubt, but after a few sessions, you could see the natural fight in her, and when it clicks Wagner will make her way to the podium."

But Wagner is not just an athlete at WashU. An African-American Studies and Political Science double major, Lizzie has enjoyed her time outside of practices and meets on the Danforth campus.

"I remember one time we celebrated Ginger's (Virginia Schulte) birthday before the summer and dressed up in 'something you never wear in your closet'," laughed Wagner. "We just went and played football on Mudd Field at like 10 or 11 p.m. It was dark, super random, and super fun."

"I also remember randomly playing basketball on the South 40 courts with a couple of random guys for like three hours one night," she added.

But she knows that her time here at WashU is almost complete and she is already looking at what she wants to do after graduating.

"My first choice is to work for the Peace Corps in the Philippines," answered Wagner. "My grandparents are from the Philippines and my uncle was born there and not a lot of us have been back. So, getting to live in the place where my family is from and also the chance to live and learn about a different place would be really cool for me."

"I am also applying to a two-year long paralegal position at civil rights litigation law firms; so, places like the ACLU and places like where my sister is working at Loevy + Loevy in Chicago. Eventually, I want to end up in Boulder, Colo."

When asked why there, she responded, "I love to hike. And okay, I have never been skiing before but I love that it's sunny there but I have always wanted to live near the mountains."

With the indoor season in full swing and the outdoor season fast approaching, Wagner is looking forward to that one last push to be the best she can be. But it's everything that she will be taking with her on her life's journey.

"She has grown tremendously into her own person," added Stiles.

The memories of attending WashU meets as a kid to competing on national championship teams are why Wagner is STL Made.
 
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