By: David Morrill
Originally published in the “Tribe Pride” publication
At Jefferson High School in Falls Church, Va., it was common for cross country and track star Christo Landry ’08 to log more than 50 miles a week when training. At William and Mary, it’s not uncommon for him to go farther — much farther.
“I’ve pretty much doubled my mileage at the College,” says Landry. “The longest workouts in high school were maybe three to four miles. I’ve gone up to 20 miles at William and Mary. It’s a big step up.”
Not averse to taking big steps, Landry has excelled on the track and in the classroom. As a freshman, for instance, he earned the first of three All-America honors. He also represented the United States at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, held in Saint Galmier, France.
“That was just incredible,” Landry remembers. “Fresh out of high school, I was part of Team USA. Being able to interact with the people I read about as the top runners for the U.S., and to get their insights on running, was very educational.”
Most recently, at the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) Championships in Farmingdale, N.Y., Landry led William and Mary to its eighth straight CAA championship in men’s cross country. His time of 23:58.9 was second only to that of Matt Lane ’01 (23:46.1) for the fastest time ever at the CAA meet.
In addition to doubling his mileage, Landry has also doubled his studies — majoring in business and economics. He believes that William and Mary’s Mason School of Business has done a fantastic job of providing him with everything he needs to succeed in life.
“The School has many required events that educate you about what is coming in the real world,” Landry says. He also praises several major events this semester during which business school graduates returned to campus to share their stories and expertise with students.
“These are people who are 10 to 15 years out and now vice presidents of corporations,” Landry says.
“They come back just to speak to students, hand out business cards and tell them about opportunities. You can just call them up and chat with them and they’ll tell you what you need to do.”
A recipient of an athletic scholarship, Landry likewise is grateful to members of the Tribe Club for helping make his William and Mary experience possible.
“It’s been pretty awesome that I don’t have to search for financial aid elsewhere,” he says. “It was a factor when I decided to come here that I was being offered a partial scholarship.”
Although he graduates in May, Landry will spend winter break filling out an application for the Master of Accounting program at the Mason School of Business.
“I’ll be back for a fifth year,” he says confidently.