Oklahoma State University Athletics
From the UK to the US – Rory Leonard’s Journey Across the Pond
October 14, 2021 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER — In the United Kingdom, the emphasis is all on soccer. For Rory Leonard, when soccer didn't work out for him, he didn't know what he would do. He decided to give running a chance and ended up falling in love with the sport.
When Leonard got cut from the soccer academy in the UK, he turned to his parents for advice. His parents were runners, so they suggested it to him knowing that he loved to be active and that he wanted to stay fit, and the rest is history.
"First, I didn't enjoy it straight away. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be, just hard, difficult, and repetitive," Leonard said. "But then I had my first race, I came fourth in my first race in the northeast of England, and it was just that racing feeling, I loved it."
Following that race, he began to take running more seriously and put in the work to improve his running times. His dad became his coach, which helped lead to a breakout moment in Leonard's career.
"I think the first time that there were signs that this big change had happened was when I finished second at the British Cross Country Series in Liverpool, which was a really big run," Leonard said. "Coming second when I really wasn't expecting that, that's when I realized like okay we got to get rolling now and keep the focus on because I realized this is fun and this was good."
His second-place finish at that race opened the eyes of many colleges in the United States, including Oklahoma State. In the end, it was Coach Dave Smith's persistence that spoke to Rory and brought him to Stillwater over other schools.
"He (Smith) clearly wanted me to be at Oklahoma State, and he clearly cared and thought I had a future here," Leonard said. "More than anything, I was just going to be comfortable, that I was going to be at home and that he was always going to be honest with me about anything. That meant the most to me in the whole process."
Now, in his freshman year at OSU, Leonard has been loving Stillwater so far.
"Probably the biggest thing has been the team, I've been welcomed really quickly and get along with everyone and all the guys are lovely," Leonard said. "And yeah, spending a little more time with Dave, and getting to know Dave. I had a lot of personal stuff going on in the last year, year and a half which Dave has always understood, and he's been really supportive with that and training and sessions as well."
In Leonard's collegiate debut at the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 18, he finished 14th as an unattached runner with a time of 24:04.6.
He doesn't want to stop there, however, as he has lofty goals not only for himself but also for Oklahoma State Cross Country as a whole.
"If we're talking just goals, it would be very great to firstly win a national title, individually at some point," Leonard said. "I don't want to limit myself to one national title. If I want to get aspirational, winning a triple would be cool, it's a big ask but it's one of those sports where winning is everything, so why not aim to win everything."
When Leonard got cut from the soccer academy in the UK, he turned to his parents for advice. His parents were runners, so they suggested it to him knowing that he loved to be active and that he wanted to stay fit, and the rest is history.
"First, I didn't enjoy it straight away. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be, just hard, difficult, and repetitive," Leonard said. "But then I had my first race, I came fourth in my first race in the northeast of England, and it was just that racing feeling, I loved it."
Following that race, he began to take running more seriously and put in the work to improve his running times. His dad became his coach, which helped lead to a breakout moment in Leonard's career.
"I think the first time that there were signs that this big change had happened was when I finished second at the British Cross Country Series in Liverpool, which was a really big run," Leonard said. "Coming second when I really wasn't expecting that, that's when I realized like okay we got to get rolling now and keep the focus on because I realized this is fun and this was good."
His second-place finish at that race opened the eyes of many colleges in the United States, including Oklahoma State. In the end, it was Coach Dave Smith's persistence that spoke to Rory and brought him to Stillwater over other schools.
"He (Smith) clearly wanted me to be at Oklahoma State, and he clearly cared and thought I had a future here," Leonard said. "More than anything, I was just going to be comfortable, that I was going to be at home and that he was always going to be honest with me about anything. That meant the most to me in the whole process."
Now, in his freshman year at OSU, Leonard has been loving Stillwater so far.
"Probably the biggest thing has been the team, I've been welcomed really quickly and get along with everyone and all the guys are lovely," Leonard said. "And yeah, spending a little more time with Dave, and getting to know Dave. I had a lot of personal stuff going on in the last year, year and a half which Dave has always understood, and he's been really supportive with that and training and sessions as well."
In Leonard's collegiate debut at the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 18, he finished 14th as an unattached runner with a time of 24:04.6.
He doesn't want to stop there, however, as he has lofty goals not only for himself but also for Oklahoma State Cross Country as a whole.
"If we're talking just goals, it would be very great to firstly win a national title, individually at some point," Leonard said. "I don't want to limit myself to one national title. If I want to get aspirational, winning a triple would be cool, it's a big ask but it's one of those sports where winning is everything, so why not aim to win everything."
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