Leah Cooper, a senior here at Lake High School, is a track star and has recently made her way to states. She has only been running for two full seasons. Her first year was her sophomore year, but unfortunately she became injured in the middle of the season. She came back her junior year better than ever, and has already broken three school records her senior year. She also went from being ranked number 52 in the state, to 9th in the state.
She runs three main events and is a star in all of them. Her favorite is the 100. She also runs the 200 and the 4×1. Her most challenging event is the 200 but she doesn’t give up and always puts in her all.
When asked how she felt when she got the news on her qualifying for states, she responded, “I felt very shocked, nervous, and excited because I never thought I would be in this position. I have only been running for 2 years, unlike other girls who I competed with that have done track for their whole lives.”
She described her experience as a very emotional one, but said it was such an amazing way to finish her indoor season. Facing those girls was very difficult, but she accomplished so much and was able to make her name known which has always been a dream of hers. Cooper explains how excited she is for her upcoming outdoor season. She hopes to drop her times, and also wishes to make it further than she did last year.
Cooper has great plans and goals for after graduation. She has recently committed to Mount Vernon University on a full ride. She will be majoring in nursing, and will be trying her best to balance track and nursing. She hopes to break records in college while she works to earn her degree. She is also excited to meet new people and become close with all of her teammates.
There is no doubt that Leah Cooper won’t go on to do great things. She has worked so hard to be in the position she is in now, and will continue to make everyone around extremely proud of her. Her biggest supporters, her mom and her coach, have pushed her and helped her through any difficult times, and always made sure she was getting everything she needed, and deserved.
