BY MATT HERB
ngelina Napoleon was
set to compete for her
first state title when her
father offered a pep talk
that she still remembers
vividly years later.
If you win this race, it
could be life-changing,
Chris Napoleon told his daughter, then
a junior cross country standout at Alle-
gany-Limestone High in western New
York. This race could change your tra-
jectory. It could affect where you go to
college.
It's likely that many of her competi-
tors that day wouldn't have wanted to
hear that their future was riding on the
outcome of the New York Class C Girls
Cross Country Championship. To a lot
of athletes, pressure is something to be
avoided or at least minimized whenever
possible.
Napoleon, though, is wired differ-
ently.
Hell, yeah, she told herself. I'll take
that responsibility of wanting to win and
knowing that if I do, this could be life-
changing.
Napoleon did indeed finish first,
one of eight state titles she amassed
A
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER
Napoleon made big strides last summer, including a third-place
performance in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS
PEAK PEAK
PERFORMER PERFORMER
Angelina Napoleon Shines On The
Collegiate And International Stages
