Layla Almasri: Pine Creek to UCCS


Layla Almasri looks to be qualifying for State this spring at both 800 and 1600 meters.


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Layla Almasri's Top Marks

800 Meters - 2:20.55

1600 Meters - 5:17.49 (at altitude)

5K Cross Country - 20:01.8 (at altitude)

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Obviously, UCCS is very close to home, but I'm guessing you had some reasons other than proximity for choosing the UCCS program. Tell us about those.

Of course staying close to home had been very important to me from the very start, I knew I was going to stay in state no matter where that took me. UCCS has had a distance program for quite some time but the track and field program being new is something I want to be a part of. I want to be able to be a part of what is starting to look like a very strong team. The girls I had met from the cross country team were so incredibly easy to talk to and I truly felt like I knew them already. It's funny because everyone always says that you "just know" when you find the school you want to go to and that is exactly what I felt. 

What do you plan to study at UCCS?

Initially I was crossed between taking an economics route or a health science route. This is one other reason I leaned towards UCCS as they have amazing business programs as well as health programs, but with time I realized I wanted to become an ultrasound technician and studying health sciences to get to that point is what I intend on doing. 

Through high school, you've been working under Max Oliver, a coach I have a whole lot of respect for. Do you have a favorite story to tell about him as coach?

Last year at track state, our girls 4x800 team all got matching pink headbands. When Coach Oliver realized we all had matching headbands and neglected to get him one so he could be a part of it, we quickly found a fix and gave him a pink blanket to wear as a scarf during our race. So, as I finish my leg and hand off the baton to the next runner, I look to my right and see Coach Oliver, of course, with his "scarf" which he did keep on the entire race. 

It doesn't appear to me--looking at your athlete profile--that you started out high school running distance. What brought about the change?

I had always run track in middle school, just for fun. I tried a little bit of everything. Sprints and jumps, but it took me a while to toughen up and take on the challenge of distance running. I always enjoyed going for runs and initially it had just started out for fun. I wasn't very competitive and just enjoyed being a part of the athletic teams in my school. I believe coming in as an underclassman with Kaleigh Kroeker, the Sered twins, and following right after Heather Bates is a lot of why I began to get competitive. Watching these ladies race, the way they ran tough was very inspiring. Wanting to be a part of that legacy of distance runners Pine Creek has had really pushed me. 

Is there a favorite moment from your high school career that you can identify for us?

I can definitely say that my senior season of cross country was amazing in itself as there were so many memories. I love the girls on my team and they have made this year so incredible. I'd have to say running at Rim Rock this past season was my favorite moment. It is just so different than all of the courses we have here and just the mentality felt so different. Plus my teammates and I always have a lot of fun together so the entire trip was just a lot of laughter. 

If you could write the ending for your high school career now, how would it end?

I would love to see myself on the podium in an individual event. I used to primarily enjoy the 800 but have recently grown a liking to the 1600 as well. I think it would be the perfect marker to show how far I came from freshman year to senior year. It won't come easy, these girls in 4A are tough, but I am too. I'm ready to be challenged for that spot.