Pierson High School Athlete Set Sights on State Championship

SAG HARBOR, NY-A young woman has her eye on the prize as she’s set bring her running accomplishments to the state level.

Already having made her mark on the county level, Pierson High School student-athlete Allura Leggard hopes to make a splash on the state level.

On March 5, Leggard will become the first Pierson female to compete at the New York State Championship for Indoor Track and Field at Cornell University.

To qualify for the spot, the junior, who runs for the East Hampton track team, took third place in the 55-meter dash at the Suffolk County Championships on February 10.

At that same meet, Leggard tied the East Hampton indoor track record for the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.40 seconds in a preliminary round. She and her teammates also broke the school’s record in the 4x200 sprint relay with a time of 1:51.22.

With the county win, Leggard now holds an All-County title, as well as a League Championship title. She was also the 2014 MVP for winter track.

The well-rounded athlete also plays field hockey, serving as Pierson High School’s captain. She holds a GPA of 3.7 and has aspirations to become a fashion designer or broadcast journalist. She also intends to continue running track and perhaps one day make it to the Olympics.

“Allura has that extra gear that coaches dream about,” said Eric Bramoff, Sag Harbor director of athletics, health, wellness, personnel and supervisor of physical education. “She is very explosive and has worked hard to develop her fast twitch muscles. All of her hard work combined with her natural talents is starting to pay off.”

Photo Caption: Pierson High School track athlete Allura Leggard will compete for the state championship on March 5. Photo courtesy of Ricci Paradiso