Distance runner Stefania Angona commits to UPEI Cross Country team

By Thomas Becker

"When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to get it." 

Stefania Angona may not have come across Jim Rohn's powerful quote before, but in her final year of high school, she embodied everything those words mean. 

Coming off a COVID-lost season in 2020, St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School decided to fold its cross-country program the following year, which didn't sit well with Angona. 

Her passion for the sport and her persuasive nature caught the attention of four teachers—Ines Okresa, Maria Makan, Sam D'Agostino, and Kevin Kilinskas—who made an exception for the 17-year-old. 

"My school didn't want to have a cross country team this year, but a group of teachers who supported my running career decided to take on the responsibility and allowed me to run," said Angona, a native of Brampton, ON.  

Three times a week, she would meet with Kilinskas and D'Agostino, who offered to bike alongside her while she ran nine kilometres before the school day. And when it came time to travel to meets, Okresa and Makan dedicated their own time to go with her. Together these teachers nurtured Angona's interest, and she has not forgotten their support. 

"They made a huge impact in my pursuit of running, and I'm very grateful for their time," said Angona, who was the only cross-country runner to represent St. Thomas Aquinas this season. 

It was at this school where her love of running blossomed, as she put down her figure skates in favour of running shoes.  

In 2019, Angona, a Grade 10 student at the time, was promoted to the senior team, where she ran her first six-kilometre race. Her contribution helped the team earn a Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association (ROPSSAA) title. 

This season, Angona finished fifth at the ROPSSAA Championship and 45^th at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Championship despite running with an injury. She was later named the captain of the track and field team and embraced the role of a leader. 

"Hopefully, I inspired the young distance runners to fall in love with running as much as I did." 

It's that type of commitment and dedication that drew Panthers head coach Mike Peterson to Angona. 

"As soon as I got to know her, it was clear that she is exactly the type of student-athlete we're after," he said. "She is a people person who is very outgoing and genuine. On the running side of things, her performance in big cross country meets made it clear that she has the potential to make an impact for us right away." 

Upon her visit to UPEI, Angona instantly fell in love, so the decision to join the Panthers was an easy one. 

"Everyone was super welcoming, and in the four days I was there, I felt they had already become my friends," said Agona, who will study kinesiology at UPEI. "I cannot wait to build on our friendships and become part of the Panther family."