BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
She is one of the top cross-country runners in the country and could have attended any school she wanted. Yet, Leila Angrand chose Laurentian University.
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Leila Angrand finally took some time off to rest her throbbing legs in July. |
Her decision was a good one. Last weekend, Angrand, 19, finished first in university women at the Waterloo Open. She finished a 3.9-km course with a time of 13:42. Her time, along with several strong performances by her teammates propelled Laurentian to first overall at the event.
This great team showing coupled with the team?s excellent showing two weeks ago at the Laurentian Ramsey Tournament Open, where Angrand finished first in university runners, has pushed the team into the Top 10 of the Canadian Interuniversity Sports rankings. They sit ninth overall, tied with the University of Alberta.
Last season, the cross-country team finished eleventh out of 14 teams in Ontario University Athletic (OUA) competition.
This season, head coach, Dick Moss was looking to crack the top ten and make opponents wary of Laurentian runners.
For Angrand, the terrific start has given her confidence an incredible boost.
?I am feeling more confident about my running because I didn?t think I would run that fast last weekend,? said Angrand. ?Finishing first in university runners has given me more confidence for future races.?
In January of this year, Angrand developed the nagging shin splints. She kept running at first because she thought they would go away. They didn?t. The splints gradually got worse, to the point where it hurt Angrand just to walk. Ignoring the pain, Angrand continued to run at high school events and at national events.
She won a bronze medal in the 3000 metres at the Canadian Junior Track Championships this summer.
?I just blocked out the pain and ran my best,? said Angrand. ?When I was in the race I couldn?t feel any pain.?
Angrand finally took some time off to rest her throbbing legs in July.
?I went five weeks without running, I had massages, I saw a chiropractor and had my shoe support inserts fixed,? said Angrand. ?It was a big relief when I started running again in August and I was pain free.?
Angrand chose Laurentian because it gave her the opportunity to excel in two major varsity sports and study sports psychology.
?I decided to stay in Sudbury because I already knew the coach and I like his experience,? said Angrand. ?Laurentian also allows me to run and swim competitively.?
?Leila is a lot of fun and she appears very confident and calm when she approaches a meet,? said coach Moss. ?It rubs off on some of her teammates and she?s a positive influence on a lot of them.?
