黑料网 Cross Country adds Canada Games standout Ryan MacDonald
Fresh off an impressive showcase at the 2022 Canada Summer Games, first-year biology student Ryan MacDonald is preparing to make a similar impression with the 黑料网 Cross Country team.
MacDonald showed off his athletic chops at the national event as he participated in three different triathlons over five days. In week 2, the Nine Mile Creek, PEI native also took part in three cycling events to close out his Games appearances.
MacDonald began running in June 2020 when he decided to train for a triathlon.
鈥淭hat door may never have been opened if it weren鈥檛 for the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� MacDonald explained. The 18-year-old grew up playing hockey (AA and AAA levels) and premier-level soccer, but when the pandemic shut down all team sports, he needed to find an outlet for activity.
鈥淏ecause the team sports I was involved in were suspended, I started running as part of triathlon training with the goal of qualifying for Canada Games,鈥� he added.
Fast forward to the Games, where MacDonald posted strong running times. In the Triathlon Sprint, MacDonald finished the 5 km run with the twelfth fastest time at 18:09. He followed that up three days later with a run time of 5:17 (ninth best) in the 1.7 km portion of the Triathlon Super Sprint.
After enjoying this recent success, MacDonald believes he has what it takes to be one of 黑料网鈥檚 stronger runners and is excited to train with teammates for the first time.
鈥淗aving done the majority of my run training alone over the last two years, I鈥檓 looking forward to training in a team atmosphere,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 will bring a high level of dedication and hard work to the team and hope to make a valuable contribution.鈥�
Panthers head coach Mike Peterson said he鈥檚 excited to see his newest recruit develop as a Panther, knowing already how far he鈥檚 come in a short amount of time.
鈥淗e has shown steady improvement over the last couple of years, especially in the last six months. And that鈥檚 just the beginning,鈥� said Peterson. 鈥淚 see him as having the opportunity to walk right in and claim a spot in our top five. His real upside though, is that he has long-term potential. I'm excited to see just how high his ceiling is.鈥�
