Tommy Land, Track & Field, Guelph

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Tommy Land has been named Investors Group Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Male Athlete of the Week, powered by 2XU, for the period ending February 27, 2018.

Male Athlete of the Week – Tommy Land (Turkey Point, Ont.) – 4^th Year – Guelph Gryphons

After a double gold performance at this weekend’s OUA Track & Field Championships, Guelph Gryphons’ Tommy Land has raced his way into OUA Male Athlete of the Week honours.

It's incredible to comprehend what Tommy Land has accomplished for a middle distance runner who doesn't train all year long. The reigning U SPORTS Championships Performer of the Meet and Gryphon Male Athlete of the Year showed his class yet again at the OUA Championships in Windsor.

Land, a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student, repeated as gold medallist in the 600m race with a time of 1:19.32, while also rising to gold in the 1000m event (2:26.48) after capturing silver at the 2017 OUA meet. The medal haul was no surprise given that Land is one of the fiercest track and field competitors not only on the talented Gryphon team but also in the country.

"Tommy creates narratives in his head where he has to fight for every inch to be able to win these events," says Guelph’s associate coach Jason Kerr. "As coaches, we think that if he does his thing, he'll be successful and get the results he wants. But he pushes himself to be better. Tommy can win a race from anywhere. He's gotten so good now that he chooses to gun it from start to finish." Kerr adds that Land doesn't really have any holes and is one of the fastest middle runners ever in U SPORTS. "He almost has a sprint-like movement pattern," the coach says. "To beat that guy, you have to be special."