Undaunted

Let the record show that in her two years of cross country, the Collegiate senior won back-to-back League of Independent Schools championships, finished third (2021) and fourth (2022) in the state, recorded a 5K personal best of 18:34 (at Pole Green Park), and led the Cougars to one LIS and two VISAA titles. 

 

In her first venture into spring track (2021), she ran 2:22.73 in the 800 to break a five-year-old school record, then a year later lowered her mark to 2:20.29. She’s also recorded personal bests of 5:19.30 in the 1600 and 11:48.80 in the 3200.

 

In 2021 and 2022, she ran an 800/3200 double in both the league and state meets, a combination not for the faint of heart because only one event, the 200, separates the two, so the recovery time is minimal.

 

She was, as is her style, undaunted. As a sophomore, she won both races in the LIS and placed second in the 800 and first in the 3200 at states. As a junior last spring, she won both events in the LIS, then in the state meet finished second in the 800 and won the 3200. If that feat weren’t impressive enough, she also anchored the 4x800 relay teams to convincing victories.

 

Indoors, she’s run bests of 2:22.43 in the 800, 3:06.63 in the 1000, and 11:46.79 in the 3200. She won the league 3200 title in 2022 and placed second in the state.

 

“MK just has the personality and attitude that when you say, ‘Here’s another challenge,’ she says, ‘Bring it on,’” said Matthew Richardson, Collegiate’s head cross country and track distance coach.

 

“She’s a great competitor. She does her workouts really well, and that’s paid off for her. She doesn’t let things faze her. She’s always pushing herself to go a little bit faster and finish a little bit stronger.”

 

Growing up, MK swam competitively for the Westwood Club and NOVA and played lacrosse, first in the Geronimo program beginning when she was in the first grade, and, from grades 6 through 8, for St. Michael’s School.

 

Her first fall at Collegiate in 2019, she played JV field hockey, then ran winter track and planned to continue in the spring before COVID brought an abrupt halt to the competitive season.

 

With classes online and sheltering close to home the norm, she took to the roads, covering as many as six miles per day to fill the time, enhance her base, and, as many runners do, reflect on life and clear her head.

 

Her sophomore year brought socially distanced field hockey and winter track. Interscholastic competition, albeit abbreviated, finally returned in the spring.

 

Thanks to her first winter track experience as well as the lessons learned during the shutdown and the satisfaction and fulfillment gained through training, she emerged an all-in, eye-of-the-tiger distance runner.

 

“I enjoyed the environment my freshman year,” she said. “There was just something about the [track] community that kept drawing me back. It’s the coaches and the whole environment. Everyone was just happy to be there. Everyone’s friendly and encouraging. As a new student, it can be hard to find your people. The track team really put themselves out there, and I was able to make a ton of friends.”

 

It was the spring of 2021 when she broke the 800 record (2:23.53, set by Virginia Harris in 2016) that MK began thinking about running in college. After doing her due diligence, she committed to Elon, a Division I signatory in the Colonial Athletic Association.

 

“I didn’t really know what kind of school I wanted when I started my college process,” she said. “From my official visits, I was able to determine that I wanted a mid-sized school. When I visited Elon, I was able to stay with girls on my future team, which was very helpful. I was able to see what their daily schedule was like, where they lived, how long their walk is to class. I went to classes with them. What really stuck out to me was the coaches: Coach [Kevin] Jermyn and Coach [Alaric] Gwynn. They really put the athletes and their wellbeing before the sport.”

 

MK’s high school career has taken her, almost in a whirlwind, from novice to record setter, champion, team captain, and favorite each time she laces up her spikes.

 

“There’s definitely pressure because I’m really competitive, and I’m really competitive with myself,” she said. “Having that pressure helps me beat my own times. It can be a little nerve-wracking, but once the gun goes off, I just go. That’s good pressure because if it wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have run the times I’ve run.”

 

With two seasons left, MK still has goals to achieve.  Two school indoor records — Annie Hamlin’s 3:05 in the 1000 (1995) and Madeline Sisk’s 11:41.7 in the 3200 (2005) — and two outdoor marks — Hamlin’s 1600 (5:07.4) and 3200 (11:24.3), both established in 1995 — are within her range.

 

There’re other goals, though.

 

“Keep improving, stay healthy, all the general things,” she said. “Just get a good team dynamic going. Get a good dynamic going in the 4x8. That’s my favorite race. I think we have big things coming. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

~Weldon Bradshaw