Kelsey Klettke, All-American.
That has a nice ring to it for the Prairie High School graduate.
A junior at Lewis-Clark State College of Lewiston, Idaho, Klettke finished 11th at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross country championships Saturday at Fort Vancouver National Site.
But not before a case of nerves.
Klettke, who earlier said she “choked” when she was felled at outdoor track and field nationals in the spring by the pressure, said she needed to be calmed down.
“I was so excited,” Klettke said. “I got a little bit nervous at the beginning of the race. I was scared and it was getting to my head, and I was just like, ‘OK, Kelsey.’ My mom and my dad and my team came over and talked to me and calmed me down. I just imagined myself back to Idaho — just another run. I relaxed my head, and I just got back into the race. When the gun went off, it was a race and nothing mattered anymore.”
The Frontier Conference champion was near the front for the first half of the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) race.
Defending champion Justyna Mudy of Georgia’s Shorter University, Eastern Oregon’s Karlee Coffey and Obsie Birru from Grand View of Iowa were near the front throughout the race. That was the eventual finishing order, with Mudy edging Coffey by four seconds with a time of 17 minutes, 42 seconds.
The top 30 individual finishers are All-America.
The women’s race was 2½ laps of the 2-kilometer course, with a “short loop” followed by two full laps.
Klettke was running third at about 2.5 km (1.6 miles) late in the first full lap, fifth near the end of that lap and sixth as runners headed down the straightaway on the parade grounds at the beginning of the final lap.
“I was running well,” she said. “I was third at the mile-and-a-half mark, and I kind of faded away right about there. I dropped back into sixth place for a while and I held onto sixth place through about the two and a half mile mark. A few girls passed me and I held my position as long as possible. It was a tough last mile, but I was just thinking, ‘Last race of the year. You worked for months for this, so better run hard right now.’ ”
Even though she lost position over the final lap and wound up 11th in 18:16, Klettke was all smiles after the race.
“I think I ran the best race I could today,” she said. “I gave it all I’ve got. I mean, I was in the first pack — the top three girls — and I gave it my all. What else can you ask for, running with the top two girls at the beginning of the race? I’m very happy. I’m so happy. I did well, and my team finished well. Today was a good day.”
LCSC finished 18th in the team standings as the Warriors’ second runner finished 82nd.
The course was sloppy after days of rain, but Saturday’s races — the women’s 5K followed by the 8K men’s race — were spared precipitation.
It was chilly and overcast for the women’s race, but the sun later came out for the men’s race.
“It was a fun race, and the weather held up for our race the entire day,” Klettke said. “I could not ask for any better weather than this for Vancouver. It was a little sloppy, a little slip and slide. Slipping and sliding on this course — I don’t think it matters, because you have so much adrenaline going anyway.”
The NAIA national championships will return to Vancouver next year, so Klettke could finish her collegiate cross country career near home.
Limage finishes 51st at NAIA nationals
Concordia University sophomore Junia Limage placed 51st at the NAIA cross country nationals at Fort Vancouver National Site on Saturday.
The Fort Vancouver High School graduate finished the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) course in 18 minutes, 52 seconds.
The event host Cavaliers placed eighth in the team standings, the best finish at nationals in program history.
Porter West Region Athlete of Year
Western Washington University senior Sarah Porter was named NCAA Division II West Region Woman Athlete of the Year in voting by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Hockinson High School graduate is Great Northwest Athletic Conference and NCAA-II West Region champion, earning both GNAC and region all-star status in each of her four seasons. Last year’s NCAA-II national runner-up next competes at nationals, Dec. 4 in Louisville, Ky.
Montana’s Piette shares line award
Montana senior guard Russell Piette, a Columbia River High School graduate, shared honors as outstanding offensive lineman at the football team’s annual awards presented Sunday by UM head coach Robin Pflugrad.
Richards academic All-America pick
Washington men’s soccer junior forward Brent Richards was named Third Team ESPN Academic All-America. The Camas High School graduate carries a 3.74 GPA.
Women’s soccer
• Concordia advanced to the NAIA women’s soccer national championships with a 2-1 home win Saturday over Simon Fraser. The Cavaliers (19-0-2), ranked No. 1 and the only undefeated team, open the quarterfinals Monday in Decatur, Ala. Senior midfielder Sami Andrews, a Camas High School graduate, was named Second Team All-Cascade Collegiate Conference.
• Seattle Pacific was eliminated Thursday from the NCAA Division II women’s soccer playoffs with a 1-0 loss to UC San Diego in Austin, Texas. SPU senior goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson, a Skyview High School graduate and the Great Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, was 16-2-2 as a senior and 39-5-4 in a career including a school-record 28 career shutouts. She posted a career goals-against average of 0.49.
Suggestions for College Notebook? Contact Kurt Zimmer at 360-735-4563 or by e-mail at kurt.zimmer@columbian.com
