Among The Elite
August 31, 2011 04:56 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - Good things come to those who work for them. Applicable to most situations in life, the phrase is commonly heard during personal quests for achievement. While setbacks are bound to occur, it only inspires one to keep moving forward and learning from the process.
For redshirt junior track and cross country athlete Sarah-Anne Brault, the term was equally applied. The minute she completed the 2011 NCAA Track and Field Championships as a second team All-American in the 10,000 meters in early June, she began training for the Canadian National Triathlon Championships held Sunday, August 21 in Kelowna, British Columbia.
The hard work paid off as the Winnipeg, Manitoba native became a national champion triathlete with a first-place finish at the event, finishing in an impressive time of two hours, four minutes and 41 seconds (2:04.41).
“It was a really cool experience,” Brault said. “The city of Kelowna is beautiful and a lot of Canadian athletes train there. A few top athletes were missing for this race because they were either training in Europe or injured, but it’s still an honor to win such a big event.”
An economics major with a 3.9 GPA, Brault overcame 30 other female participants and one of Canada’s top internationally ranked triathletes, Paula Findlay, who finished about a minute behind in 2:05.35. The two are well familiar with one another as both competed for the Canadian junior national triathlon team for three years and actually spent a week together training for the race.
“I know Paula very well,” Brault mentioned. “I’ve been in races with her since my junior year of high school. It’s a small world at that level. There are a select amount of runners that do triathlons, so you get to know each other pretty well. Everyone knows each other in the top racing communities.
“She’s been hurt a bit this season, so she was probably down a bit for the race, but she was really good last year. She had to take a step back, but it was still a very good race for me.”
Brault managed to outkick Findlay in the final portion of the triathlon, the 10k run. She paced the run in 34:22, while Findlay struggled to keep up with a 35:16 arrival.
“I definitely like the running portion the best,” she said. “I’m glad it’s the last part. I really enjoy the biking part, as well, but the swimming section not so much because there’s a lot of contact and I’m not as strong of a swimmer. That’s the toughest part of the triathlon.”
Now a national champion, Brault is confident the experience will help her this season for WVU in both track and cross country.
“It will be great,” Brault said. “The 10k training in the spring and summer will be very helpful for the 6k races I’ll compete in for cross country. I found out what I need to improve on and what my strengths are.
“It’s neat to see the support I’ve received from friends and family and my teammates. I’ve been doing this long enough that I know how to make the transition from triathlon training to running only. I know I’m ready to run now. Everyone is excited for this season.”
Aware of her capabilities, Brault has elevated expectations for herself this season and helping out the team.
“First of all, we want to qualify as a team for nationals and to be on the podium following nationals,” Brault said. “I don’t want to get injured, for one thing. It would be nice to become an All-American, which would mean a top-40 finish at nationals and big improvement from my 71st-place finish last year. I hope to have solid races at the BIG EAST Championships and Mid-Atlantic regional to help prepare myself for nationals.”
WVU coach Sean Cleary also believes Brault’s performance will enhance her opportunities for success in 2011-12 between the two sports.
“A national champion in any sport speaks for itself,” Cleary said. “Sarah came to WVU with three main goals in mind. One was to prepare herself academically for anything and everything that is presented for the future. Another was to become one of the NCAA’s best long-distance runners.
“We know that with the achievement of that goal she will become one of the best runners in triathlons throughout the world. Her third goal was to emerge from WVU with a clear shot at the Olympic Games. This national championship, along with her 3.9 GPA, demonstrates that she is on her way to accomplishing all of her goals.”
With the benchmark set, Brault will continue to put forth the required effort to achieve similar success in her endeavors during this year.
For redshirt junior track and cross country athlete Sarah-Anne Brault, the term was equally applied. The minute she completed the 2011 NCAA Track and Field Championships as a second team All-American in the 10,000 meters in early June, she began training for the Canadian National Triathlon Championships held Sunday, August 21 in Kelowna, British Columbia.
The hard work paid off as the Winnipeg, Manitoba native became a national champion triathlete with a first-place finish at the event, finishing in an impressive time of two hours, four minutes and 41 seconds (2:04.41).
“It was a really cool experience,” Brault said. “The city of Kelowna is beautiful and a lot of Canadian athletes train there. A few top athletes were missing for this race because they were either training in Europe or injured, but it’s still an honor to win such a big event.”
An economics major with a 3.9 GPA, Brault overcame 30 other female participants and one of Canada’s top internationally ranked triathletes, Paula Findlay, who finished about a minute behind in 2:05.35. The two are well familiar with one another as both competed for the Canadian junior national triathlon team for three years and actually spent a week together training for the race.
“I know Paula very well,” Brault mentioned. “I’ve been in races with her since my junior year of high school. It’s a small world at that level. There are a select amount of runners that do triathlons, so you get to know each other pretty well. Everyone knows each other in the top racing communities.
“She’s been hurt a bit this season, so she was probably down a bit for the race, but she was really good last year. She had to take a step back, but it was still a very good race for me.”
Brault managed to outkick Findlay in the final portion of the triathlon, the 10k run. She paced the run in 34:22, while Findlay struggled to keep up with a 35:16 arrival.
“I definitely like the running portion the best,” she said. “I’m glad it’s the last part. I really enjoy the biking part, as well, but the swimming section not so much because there’s a lot of contact and I’m not as strong of a swimmer. That’s the toughest part of the triathlon.”
Now a national champion, Brault is confident the experience will help her this season for WVU in both track and cross country.
“It will be great,” Brault said. “The 10k training in the spring and summer will be very helpful for the 6k races I’ll compete in for cross country. I found out what I need to improve on and what my strengths are.
“It’s neat to see the support I’ve received from friends and family and my teammates. I’ve been doing this long enough that I know how to make the transition from triathlon training to running only. I know I’m ready to run now. Everyone is excited for this season.”
Aware of her capabilities, Brault has elevated expectations for herself this season and helping out the team.
“First of all, we want to qualify as a team for nationals and to be on the podium following nationals,” Brault said. “I don’t want to get injured, for one thing. It would be nice to become an All-American, which would mean a top-40 finish at nationals and big improvement from my 71st-place finish last year. I hope to have solid races at the BIG EAST Championships and Mid-Atlantic regional to help prepare myself for nationals.”
WVU coach Sean Cleary also believes Brault’s performance will enhance her opportunities for success in 2011-12 between the two sports.
“A national champion in any sport speaks for itself,” Cleary said. “Sarah came to WVU with three main goals in mind. One was to prepare herself academically for anything and everything that is presented for the future. Another was to become one of the NCAA’s best long-distance runners.
“We know that with the achievement of that goal she will become one of the best runners in triathlons throughout the world. Her third goal was to emerge from WVU with a clear shot at the Olympic Games. This national championship, along with her 3.9 GPA, demonstrates that she is on her way to accomplishing all of her goals.”
With the benchmark set, Brault will continue to put forth the required effort to achieve similar success in her endeavors during this year.
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