Dalhousie Tigers women’s cross country and track and field head coach Rich Lehman is pleased to announce the commitment of Kristen Ross for the 2021-22 season.

A distance runner, Ross came away from the 2018-19 Nova Scotia School Athletics Federation (NSSAF) track and field championships with bronze medals in both the 800m and 1500m events as a grade 10 student. She also placed third at the NSSAF Cross Country Championship in grade 11 and was fourth in last fall’s event.

A member of Team Nova Scotia-Nunavut for the 2018 Royal Canadian Legion Track and Field championships and attending the 2019 event as an open athlete, Ross finished in seventh at the 2019 edition in both the 800m and 1500m races. She has posted personal-best times of 2:17.40 in the 800m and 4:41.67 in the 1500m.

The Pictou County, N.S. native earned the Pictou County Athletics Club rookie of the year in 2017 and most improved athlete titles in 2018 and 2019. She was also named Northumberland Regional High School’s (NRHS) top female cross country athlete all four years.

“I am excited to be running for Dalhousie next year and becoming part of the team,” says Ross. “I am looking forward to training with the athletes and coaches and to improve my running.”

A two-time member of the NRHS academic excellence list and a member of the academic distinction list in 2019-20, Ross will be studying kinesiology at Dalhousie.

“I'm very excited to add Kristen to our women's distance program,” says Lehman. “Her personal bests are very good for an incoming student-athlete, but much more important is her proven ability to step up in championship situations. Her performance at the 2019 U18 national championship was incredible and we've been keen to get her to Dal since that weekend. She has been very well coached by AUS and Dalhousie record holder Heather Beaton so we expect her to be ready to contribute from day one.”