Alkerton Ready to Make the Most
After sitting out a year following her transfer from Queen's University, Alicia Alkerton is entering her final season of U Sports eligibility with a renewed hunger, and the chance to compete on home turf as Windsor hosts this year's OUA championships.
The Brockville, Ontario native, now in her sixth year overall but third of competitive eligibility, spent last season on the sidelines due to transfer rules. Rather than let the year go to waste, she leaned into speed work on the indoor track team and cheered on her new teammates from the stands.
"It was awesome," Alkerton said of the experience. "I got to train with the team last year, do a couple open races, and get to know everybody."The year off wasn't without its challenges. Training on a different schedule than the team, including a longer build toward the 10K at the OUA cross-country championships while teammates were already in their down week, made for a lonelier stretch. Alkerton called it a mental test as much as a physical one.
"It proves to you that you can do anything when you put your mind to it," she told Powerplay Sports.
That independence carried into her off-season training back home, where she pushed through Brockville's milder summer heat specifically to prepare for Windsor's humidity. "If I was able to do things on my own and work just as hard there, I can work just as hard here with my team," she said.
Now healthy and hosting duties on top of competing, Alkerton says there's added meaning to this season. She recalled attending OUAs at Queen's last year as a spectator, only for the tables to turn full circle with Windsor hosting in her final year.
"It's really special. We all get to do it together where we live, in our hometown," she said, noting how many of her teammates grew up locally. "We have a great community here, and lots of people who support us."
Assistant coach Anna Patterson says her senior runner is a workhorse and leader.
“She’s not in your face. She just helps them, helps the girls along quietly. Yeah, doesn't want to ruffle anybody's feather. She's just here to do, do the job she came to do. The OUA Championship is scheduled for October 31st at Malden Park.
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