Avening runner ranked fifth in the country
Avening runner Anna Carruthers has just wrapped up her best track season yet earning two silver medals at provincials and a fifth place national ranking.
Carruthers, a fourth year Western University student, won two silver medals at the Ontario University Athletics provincial championships in Windsor on Feb. 24, one in the 3000 metre race and another in the four-by-800-metre relay.
Carruthers and her teammate were neck-and-neck at the finish line for the 3000 metre race. She narrowly missed the gold but she said it was a huge personal accomplishment to win her first individual medal.
Being in the top-12 track runners of all Canadian university students earned Carruthers a spot at the 2023 FFUN U SPORTS Track and Field Championship in Saskatoon on March 10, where the women’s track and field team won silver, finishing 100 points behind Guelph, and Carruthers maintained her fifth place national ranking in the 3000 metre.
She said she felt like all the pieces came together this year, focussing on one discipline and having a full uninterrupted track season. The pandemic has had a significant impact on her athletics, with all second year competition being canceled. But the team came third overall at the nationals in third year and are now second. Due to having lost a year and a half of competition, Carruthers is returning to Western for a fifth year to compete in championships with both the cross-country team and the track team.
“It was my best season so far and it has been a great experience,” said Carruthers, adding both the individual success and the team success have been very empowering.
Carruthers began her track and field journey as a Grade 5 student at Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School, and continued to compete for Collingwood Collegiate Institute. While being recruited by universities, Carruthers said she was drawn to Western in London because of the excellent coaching staff, team, and welcoming atmosphere. She said as her skills have progressed on the university track, she found that she excelled in the long distance events.
She said the long distance can be mentally daunting for many athletes, so her mental strength and determination have helped hersucceed.
“I really love getting out for a run every day it gives me a bit of a break from all the stresses of the academic side of university,” said Carruthers. “And I have found a good group of girls who enjoy training together, and pushing each other.”
