RUN, LIAM, RUN.
Guy Schultz, the head cross country coach at Western calls Liam Donnelly “a diamond in the rough.”
Donnelly is a Mustang freshman and recently showed his metal at the annual Purple and White Intra-Squad meet finishing strongly in sixth place, a mere six seconds behind the second place finisher. “Liam ran a tough race.” said Schultz. Indeed, he did. It has been suggested by some as “eye popping.” And for good reason.
Donnelly was not heavily recruited as a varsity cross country runner.
The St. Mary Catholic Secondary School grad’s forte is the triathlon. Running is one component of “the tri.” Swimming and biking the other.
The 18 year old had one great summer seizing two silver and one bronze medal in the triathlon at the 2017 Canada Games.
The three-time Crusader athlete of the year may have missed gold in the “tri” but the 95 per cent student-athlete seized a “pot of gold” winning a Western National Scholarship (Faculty of Science) valued at $30,000, the Brain Maxwell Memorial Scholarship valued at $8,000, the Optimist Club of Strabane Scholarship ($1,500), and the celebrated OFSAA Colin Hood Award.
Donnelly is the fifth local athlete to be awarded the prestigious Brian Maxwell Memorial Scholarship. Dundas Highland SS graduates Nathaniel Hayward (2007 - Western); Carise Thompson (2010- Guelph) and Kaitlyn Pansegrau (2012 - McMaster) along with Westdale graduate Chelsea Mackinnon (2011 - McMaster) have all been recipients of the prestigious prize.
Donnelly is still glittering after the summer games.
“The Canada Games was an experience of a lifetime,” said the 2014 Provincial and Youth Cup triathlon champion.
“I was surrounded by an amazing team of fellow competitors, coaches, managers and staff who really made the (Canada Games) week (in Winnipeg) amazing.”
The former page at Queen’s Park is no stranger to swimming, biking and running.
As a pre-teen Donnelly joined the Fighting Koalas Triathlon Team (Waterdown) under the tutelage of Mat Reid.
“Mat was very influential at this point of my life,” said the triple Canada Games medallist.
“It was a great place for my kick-start journey in the triathlon.”
And Reid is “super proud” of his former pupil. “Liam’s success at the Canada Games re-enforced to him and the people around him that he is on the correct course to be on the short list of the future of the sport.”
“The Canada Games experience was so much more than just three races,” Donnelly said.
“Walking into the stadium filled with people for the opening ceremonies was one of the most amazing moments I’ve ever experienced.”
Clearly, the Mustangs have corralled a fiercely competitive, ‘hungry’ freshman.
“Liam is highly motivated off his summer,” said Guy Schultz, the Mustangs cross country coach.
Steve Scime, Donnelly’s former high school coach calls the Canada Games multimedallist “an extraordinary person.”
Western is about to find out just how extraordinary Liam Donnelly really is.