Saturday, July 27th, 2024

Leigh Daniel Cordes | 1993 - 1996 | Monterey High School | Track

Leigh Daniel Cordes ran track at Monterey High School from 1993 to 1996. She began distance running in her senior year of high school, qualifying for the Regional Cross Country Meet and placing 3rd in the 3200 meters at the State Meet.

Daniel Cordes was named Newcomer of the Year in cross country and named MVP of the track team at Monterey. She was named “Most Athletic” in her class senior year, having participated in cross country, track, basketball and tennis. While she was on the basketball team they qualified for the regional tournament 3 years in a row. She was also a two-time regional qualifier in tennis.

After high school she went to Texas Tech on a scholarship to run track. Over the years she clocked times that would break school records and competed in many track and cross country competitions. Her first year running cross country, she finished 50th overall with a time of 18:36 at the NCAA Championships. In 1997 she moved into 2nd position on Tech’s outdoor track 5,000 meters record list after taking 5th place at the Big 12 Championships. She took 1st place at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in the 3,000 meter, the Gatorade Invitational in the 5,000 meter, and the Tech Invitational in the 1500 meter. She was Tech’s top runner in cross country in 1997 and won the Red Raider Invitational that year. In 1999, she was the All-American and NCAA Champion in the 5,000 meter.

She had the nation’s best time of the year with 16:01:11. That same year she was Tech’s first individual national champion and led the team to their best ever finish at the NCAA Championships (10th). In 1999, she established herself as one of the nation’s top distance runners and greatest women’s distance runner in Tech history. She was named Trackwire’s Woman Athlete of the Week and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” section. In 2000, she earned All-American honors in both the 3,000 and 5,000. She was also named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team that year. From 2000 to 2001 she was a member of the Team USA Mammoth Lakes, California. She was sponsored by Asics and trained at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. From 2002 to 2004 she was sponsored by Brooks and was a member of the Hanson Brooks Olympic Training Group in Rochester, Michigan. She qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon in 2004. From 2005 to 2009 she continued to be sponsored by Brooks and kept competing in different races and marathons. Her team won the USA Club Cross Country Championships in 2009.
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