StFX revels in Ghislaine Landry's medal-winning rugby performance

Courtesy Monty Mosher, Local XPress

Long before Ghislaine Landry was a force on the rugby pitch for Canada, she terrorized the CIS as a member of the St. Francis Xavier X-Women.

It's a fact no one at St. F.X. will ever forget.

Landry, a Toronto native, was a two-time CIS player of the year during her time with the X-Women.

On Monday, she had two tries and 18 points overall as Canada defeated Great Britain 33-10 for the women's rugby sevens bronze medal at the Rio Olympics. It is the first time the sport has been played in the Olympics.

"The St. F.X. family is incredibly proud of Ghislaine Landry and all that she has accomplished," St. F.X. athletic director Leo MacPherson said Tuesday,

"Being a part of the bronze medal-winning Canadian team is just the latest in a long list of accolades for her. She is our most celebrated female athlete in St. F.X. history and she continues to thrill us as a member of the Canadian team."

The X-Women rugby program has been at the forefront of player development for Canada, sending a string of players, including world player of the year Magali Harvey, on to national and international success.

But Landry was the program's first great star.

"It demonstrates that there is a pathway through St. F.X. to the national team programs as our X-Women rugby program has had a number of people who have gone on to represent Canada," MacPherson said.

Landry, now 28, came to St. F.X. in 2006. She was the rookie of the year, helping the X-Women to their first national title that season.

She was a four-time all-Canadian and was nominated in 2009 for the BLG Award as the nation's top varsity athlete. Her 352 points over four years remains an AUS record.

She made her debut for Team Canada in 2011. She has been an international scoring leader since.

"As a kid it was my dream, today it's a medal around my neck," Landry said on Twitter following the victory. "What a feeling!"

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