Top Charlotte 49ers hurdler almost didn’t run in her senior season

Just a couple of years ago, Juanita Leto was the best female hurdler on the Charlotte 49ers women’s track and field team – and the best in the conference.

During her first three years at Charlotte, Leto established herself as one of the top-five hurdlers in program history, both indoors and out.

But the Concord High graduate thought about forgoing her senior year of eligibility so she could concentrate on the academic demands of her last year of college.

While many seniors wish to close their athletic careers on a high note, Leto’s only goals for her final season were to motivate herself enough to compete and be consistent in her times.

On May 14-17, Leto likely will run the last race of her career at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships in El Paso, Texas.

Leto said she’s glad she stuck with track and field for her final year, understanding the life lessons to be learned by committing to something and remaining loyal to teammates and coaches.

“Sometimes it’s not about the results,” said Leto. “Sometimes it’s about how you handle situations. Your medals aren’t going to last forever; they will collect dust. It’s what you learn through your struggles that really produce a lot of fruit in the future.”

Leto’s athletic ability has not always matched her mentality and interest in sports. When she was trying to find her niche in track as a seventh-grader, her coach talked her into trying the hurdles. The coach put a single hurdle in the grass, and Leto followed her instructions by jumping it.

“She said, ‘Jump over it and bend your leg like a dog in heat,’” said Leto. “I don’t know what I did, but I didn’t do that… I almost hurt my back – it was bad.… The second time was better.”

Leto discovered she had some talent in the hurdles and began participating in AAU events by the end of middle school. Still, she wasn’t convinced she would be hurdling forever.

When it was time to sign up for track her freshman year at Concord High, Leto actually was more interested in trying out for a school musical. Her mother convinced her she should stick with hurdling.

Leto continued to progress as a high school hurdler. She won the 55-meter hurdles at the 3A state indoor championships as a senior. She was interested in attending college far from Charlotte, but when the 49ers offered, she changed her mind.

As in middle and high school, Leto found immediate success at the collegiate level. As a freshman, she finished third in the 100-meter hurdles at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships.

As a sophomore, Leto placed first in the same event at the conference outdoor meet. During the indoor season, she finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at the A-10 championships.

Like many other 49ers track and field athletes, the amount of her success changed with the 2013-14 school year. Charlotte joined Conference USA, whose track and field teams were much more competitive.

Understanding she wouldn’t compete after her senior season, Leto said, she was ready to leave the sport a year early. She consulted with friends, relatives, coaches and an athletic academic adviser about her decision.

Leto ultimately decided to stick with it, understanding “that nothing bad can come out of that.”

“She’s really been an anchor on the women’s team,” said head coach Bob Olesen. “If you need someone to volunteer to do something, she’s right there first thing. If we need someone to talk to a teammate a problem they were having, she’s right there for them.”

Leto’s eligibility will expire at the end of this season, and she is scheduled to graduate with a degree in creative writing in December.

This story was originally published May 6, 2015 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Top Charlotte 49ers hurdler almost didn’t run in her senior season."