Leigh Cooper Wallace

NewApp · Unread post by **NewApp** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:27 am

I can't think of a more deserving athlete for ASU Hall of fame than this young lady. It's a shame it had to be posthumously.
LEIGH COOPER WALLACE (Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field — 1988-1992): Was a six-time all-Southern Conference performer and four-time conference champion as a standout distance runner ... four conference titles all came as a senior — 5,000 meters (indoors) and 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters (outdoors) ... is one of only two athletes in SoCon history to win all three distance races (3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters) at one conference championship meet (joining App State teammate Whitney Ball) ... named all-SoCon as a junior and senior in cross country, placing third at the conference championship as a senior in 1991 ... in her four years at Appalachian State, she helped the Mountaineers capture all 12 SoCon cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field team championships ... served as an inspiration for the entire campus community as the survivor of a kidnapping and sexual assault while a student at Appalachian in 1989 ... regularly shared her story at Appalachian State’s annual Walk for Awareness, which promotes campus safety, commemorates lives lost to violence and supports victims and survivors of violent crimes ... went on to be a longtime teacher and coach at nearby Watauga High School and helped lead the Pioneers’ cross country and track and field teams to numerous conference, regional and state championships in her 10-plus years as a coach ... was inducted into the Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 ... died after a brief and sudden illness in 2012 at the age of 43.

StumpyCulbreath · Unread post by **StumpyCulbreath** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:57 am

She was one fantastic runner who would beat nearly all the men in the street 5K's after she finished her career at ASU. I never got to see her finish because she was always too far ahead. Really admired her as a coach and role model. She affected many, many people in a short time.

proasu89 · Unread post by **proasu89** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:19 pm

She was a very positive role model for my daughter while at Watauga. She is dearly missed.