Pattison and Laurie make Laurier history at Nationals

Fourth-year runners and Golden Hawk superstars Sydney Pattison and Lizzy Laurie both made the podium in separate events this past weekend at the USPORTS National Track and Field Championship and in the process made Laurier history.

The two stellar athletes capped off an incredible 2019-2020 season, by both winning a medal on the biggest stage.

Over the course of the provincial championships, Pattison made history as she was able to receive the first ever medal by a Hawk at the OUA Championships.

Pattison was able to win the silver medal in the 1500m race and the bronze medal in the 1000m race against the top runners in the province.

Those results, among with various others, have already entrenched Sydney Pattison’s name into the Laurier record books, but she was not done there, as she headed into nationals looking to make some more history.

Pattison also raced in the National Championship last year in Manitoba, as she finished in twelfth place in the 1500m race with a time of 4:45:72.

laurie was attending her first ever USPORTS National Championships and was happy to be joining her friend and teammate in Alberta.

Although Laurie had qualified for nationals with her performances through the season, this was a change of plans from her original schedule.

Laurie was recognized by the International University Sports Federation, otherwise known as FISU,and was invited to compete for Team Canada at the World University Cross Country Championship that was scheduled to take place in Marrakech, Morocco last week,

The opportunity of competing for Canada and representing the country as a Golden Hawk was special for Laurie.

Unfortunately however, after close deliberations with the government of Morocco, FISU decided to postpone the event to a later date due to the sweeping spread of the coronavirus.

The postponing of the competition is sure to be disappointing for Laurie as it is not an opportunity that comes by often for student-athletes, however the government and health officials in Morocco had decided to prioritize the health of the athletes and everyone else involved as the coronavirus continues it’s fearful global track.

With that opportunity off of the table for Laurie, she joined Pattison and the two aimed to make history.

They both headed into this past weekend, determined and focused to cap off their superb season and even more spectacular careers, with something they have never won before; a National Championship medal.

That changed however on day one when Lizzy Laurie ran an outstanding race in the 3000m heat.

Laurie was able to leapfrog three runners in the final lap as she made a big push and went on to make Golden Hawk history by becoming the first ever Laurier athlete to win a middle distance USPORTS medal.

Laurie headed into the final lap in fifth place, but was able to make up some ground on a strong push near the strectch run and ended up jumping from fifth to third place, where she then made a move for second place with the finish line in sight and was able to win the illustrious silver medal.

Lizzy Laurie finished that 3000m race with a time of 9:38:17, a personal best time for her.

The winning continued when Sydney Pattison made no mistake in her signature event, the 1500m race.

Pattison was able to finish third and win a USPORTS Bronze Medal after recording a personal best time of 4:24:79 in the 1500m event.

The time was three seconds quicker then her 1500m race and silver medal at OUA Championships and was much improved from last year’s nationals, coming in 21 seconds faster and nine spots higher along with a medal to show for it.

With the medal, the Rockwood, Ontario native, Pattison continued to cement her legacy with the Golden Hawks. She is now officially the most decorated member in the short ten year history of indoor distance at Laurier.  She can now also call herself a national medalist, as can Lizzy Laurie.

Laurier as a team had their most successful season ever and finished in twelfth place out of the 35 participating schools.

Both Pattison and Laurie with their historic performances over the weekend in Edmonton were named athletes of the week once again.

With these medals, the two stars have won nearly everything they could have and will close out their careers knowing the legacy they have left on the program has been profound.

Pattison was a second team cross country All-Star in the fall term and has won two team MVP awards to go along with her prestigious Outstanding Women of Laurier award.

Laurie was also a second team cross country All-Star, a USPORTS All-Canadian and an Academic All-Canadian.

The duo of Pattison and Laurie is sure to be missed next year, as they have arguably been the two most consistent and successful individual athletes over the past four years here at Laurier!

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