Kansas Kids Do it Best🌻
Also it turns out that Nick Willis actually does have a connection Kansas, so that's cool!
Three weeks in a row that I’ve sent this out on time? That has to be a record or something. This week we got to talk with Emporia State’s Jenna Ramsey and Saint Mary’s Luke Skinner to get an inside look on what got them to the high level they’re at today. We also take a trip out West to California to talk about Newbury Park and how they outdid themselves. I know they aren’t related to Kansas, but I liked my snippet of Nick Willis last week, so I decided I’m going to add one non-Kansas related track & field story every week to keep things fresh. Hopefully you will enjoy that but if not, I’m deeply sorry.
Who is Jenna Ramsey, and why is she already so good?
Jenna Ramsey has only been a Hornet for two full years, and she already has the résumé that a lot of athletes strive to reach by the end of their collegiate career.
Mile — 5:08.41
3000m — 9:43.86 (School Record)
5000m — 17:13.47
10,000m — 37:33.10
6000m XC — 20:54.7
2x MIAA Champ (21’ 10k, 21’ XC)
21’ XC National Qualifier
Growing up in Hutchinson, Kansas, Jenna never pictured herself being a collegiate runner, let alone one of the best. Competing in gymnastics for the majority of her childhood and youth, she didn’t spend much time wondering how fast she could run a mile, or if she would ever be able to run a 6k on the grass. Instead, she spent her free time laying on her bedroom floor watching and rewatching Olympic gymnast Makayla Maroney compete and win a gold and silver at the 2012 London Olympic games. In high school, Jenna ran one season of both track & field and cross country during her senior year, but had no intentions of continuing the sport at the next level. Jenna was fully prepared to cheer at the collegiate level, but the want of being close to home ultimately led her to explore other options and open the door to success that not even Jenna thought she was capable of. For only being in her second year as a collegiate athlete, Jenna has the maturity level of someone that has been in the sport for years. She has the mindset of someone who wants to win and push herself to her limit, but not forget who she is or where she came from. Despite of her busy schedule as both a student and an athlete, Jenna took the time to answer some questions to give us a little more insight as to who she is.
1. What do you contribute the most to your success as a runner?
“I think the biggest contributor to my success has been my mindset. I consider myself a tough person who embraces the pain, even enjoys it. After my first year of college, I decided to go all in with running and spent several weeks at altitude in Colorado. I believe my mindset helped me stay consistent in my training through those runs at altitude, as well as during the season those early morning practices and grueling workouts.”
2. Who is your favorite professional athlete?
“Since I didn’t gravitate towards running at a young age, I idolized professional gymnasts like Gabby Douglas and Makayla Maroney. I did gymnastics for the majority of my life, and my best event was the vault. I would lay on my bedroom floor watching and rewatching Makayla Maroney compete at the Olympics. She is such a powerful athlete that I strive to be like.”
3. What achievement in running means the most to you and why does it stand above the many others?
“My biggest achievement happened recently during the Bearcat Open. Ever since I started running, my dad would point out that I did not look tired after races. Although I have gotten better at pushing myself, up until this past 3k, I do not believe I had a race where I felt I had given my all. As a result, I feel my biggest achievement was having to lay down at the end of my race.”
4. What is your biggest goal as a runner?
“I feel like I’m in uncharted territory where I have surpassed most of my initial benchmarks, so my goal is to not lose track of myself. The accomplishments are incredible, but I want to stay humble and not let running consume my life.”
5. Did you ever see yourself reaching the level of success that you’re currently at?
“Even in my dreams, I never imagined running this fast. Before covid, I spent my whole life preparing to cheer in college. It was not even on my radar to run in college until I realized I needed to stay closer to home. It’s been quite the surprise to realize some of my potential.”
6. What is the most important aspect of your training?
“I feel like mileage has been a major aspect of my training. After recently looking back at some of my high school training notes, all I could do was laugh at me complaining about how long a 5 mile run was. I have more than doubled my weekly mileage since high school. I feel that my higher mileage contributed immensely to my success.”
7. What is your favorite distance to run on the track or the grass?
“I have a feeling that this will change once I get more seasons of cross country, but for now my favorite distance is either the 3,000 meters or the mile. Although I’m definitely better at the longer distances, it is always fun to drop down to shorter, faster events. I have not conquered all my goals for the mile; therefore, that is why the event is intriguing to me.”
8. Throughout your entire career, what is your favorite race that you have ever ran?
“My favorite race has to be last years MIAA outdoor conference 10k. I had no expectations of even getting on the podium, so I was just as shocked as my teammates as I moved into 4th, then 2nd, and then 1st. It was an electric and terrifying experience leading that last mile. My teammates and other supporters were cheering so loud that I could not hear if anyone was close behind me. It was such a warm feeling seeing not only my teammates but other athletes I had met going crazy for me. At some point, my team stormed the field and had lined up along the home stretch. I look back on that race quite fondly. It was the moment I realized I have the chance to achieve something great.”
With just over a month until the NCAA DII Indoor Championships, Jenna is already in prime position, with plenty of time to give herself even more of a cushion in multiple races. In the 3000m, she sits in 18th in the nation, and 16th in the 5000m, with provisional standards in both. After her upset win in the 10,000m in outdoor last Spring, don’t count Jenna out in anything.
If you’re reading this today (02/11/2022), Jenna is slated to run the 5000m tonight at the Gorilla Classic at Pittsburg State University and will be in a very competitive field that could see her dip under seventeen. Fingers crossed that she can find her way into the sixteens! Finally, good luck to Jenna on the remainder of her indoor season and the entirety of outdoor! We personally cannot wait to see what she does.
The King of the NAIA👑
Picture this, a man that can run the following:
600m — 1:21.51
800m — 1:51.93
1000m — 2:24.15
1500m — 3:51.60
Mile — 4:08.70
Impressive right? What if I told you that the same athlete could run 1:10:55 for a half-marathon (5:25 per mile)? Additionally, he’s also ran 8:16.68 for 3k, a 14:39.50 5k, 9:02.88 in the 3k steeplechase and a 24:29.2 for the 8k in cross country. If you somehow don’t know the name Luke Skinner, familiarize yourself with the Saint Mary senior right now, because he ins one of the most, if not THE most versatile runner in the NAIA.
Luke calls Montezuma, Kansas his home, a small town in the Southwestern corner of Kansas with a population of less than one-thousand people. He graduated from South Gray High School in 2017. In high school, Luke was your average high school runner. He collected All-State honors in cross country four times, two runner-up finishes at state (1600m/3200m) his senior, along with four additional All-State finishes on the track. His senior year, Luke ran a scorching 1:55.15, a time that would have gotten you All-American at both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. So yeah, he was pretty fast in high school. The thing about Luke Skinner though isn’t how fast he was in high school, but how much faster he got in college at every single distance he’s competed in. He’s cut nearly two minutes off of his 5k from high school to college, nearly THIRTY-FIVE seconds per mile, and has taken nineteen seconds off of his mile. Regardless of what you ask him to do, Luke is the kind of athlete that is going to get it done regardless of what it takes. That right there is why he has garnered his long list of accolades. In the midst of his successful indoor campaign, Luke took some time to answer a couple of questions to give us a glimpse behind the scenes.
1. What do you contribute the most to your success as a runner?
“Consistency, being able and willing to put in consistent mileage, workouts, long runs, etc. for the past 4 to 5 years without any serious injuries has probably been what has benefited me most as a runner.”
2. What achievement in running means the most to you and why does it stand above the many others?
“Being runner-up at cross country nationals this past fall is probably one of the most memorable moments in my running career. It stands out from others because I got to share the moment with my teammates who I have spent countless hours with and have worked just as hard as I have at this sport.”
3. Do you have plans to continue running after Saint Mary?
Yeah, I do plan on running after I’m done at Saint Mary. Hopefully, I can continue to race and remain competitive as I’m finishing my masters.
4. Did you ever see yourself reaching the level of success that you’re currently at?
Coming into college I didn’t really know what to expect or know how fast I would be able to get. When I was a freshman there was a group of seniors that I looked up to and figured that if I worked as hard as them eventually it would pay off. So far, the hard work has paid off.
5. What is the most important aspect of your training?
Again, I would have to say consistency.
6. When your time at Saint Mary is up, what do you want people to think when they hear the name “Luke Skinner”?
I just hope I’m remembered as someone who worked hard and really loved the sport.
7. What is your plan this weekend for racing? Any goals or times you’re going after?
Really the main goal for this weekend is to hit a NAIA qualifying standard in the DMR Friday night. The mile on Saturday looks like it will be a fun race with some other fast guys so hopefully I can go get another PR.
I’ve had the privilege to both watch and compete against Luke these past few years, and over and over again he continues to amaze me and anyone who has had the opportunity of watching him compete.
As of today, Luke currently has earned four NAIA A-Standards in the last four races, along with breaking four school records (three of his own) in the process. On January 22, Luke ran a NAIA leading time in the 3000m in 8:16.68 at the NWMS Open. A week later at the Wendy’s/Pittsburg State Invitational he ran 4:08.70, good enough for 4th in the NAIA. This past weekend, Luke doubled up in the 1000m (2:24.15) and the 800m (1:51.93), good enough for the 1st and 3rd fastest time in the NAIA. Four personal bests, four school records, and four national qualifying times all in three weeks. 🤯 Like he said above, he’s in a LOADED mile this weekend at the Gorilla Classic along with a spot on the DMR. I’m guessing that he can find a way to somehow top what he has already done!
Newbury Park outdoes themselves AGAIN
In early December, Newbury Park solidified themselves as the greatest high school cross country team of all time. With a team average of 14:14.63 and a pack time of 41.63, the Panthers did their part to solidify themselves as the greatest to ever do it at the high school level. Of course, when any athlete does something that has not been done before, the naysayers love to find reasons to try and discredit the accomplishment. For Newbury Park, it was the classic “the course was short” argument that we have all seen time and time again. I’ve mentioned it in previous newsletters, but I cannot stand those who instantly claim that the course was short. That’s why I did all I could to avoid the LetsRun message boards over this topic. For anyone who didn’t believe that Newbury Park was THAT team even after they had already proven a great deal on the track last Spring, must be simply against anything and everything Newbury Park.
If you didn’t hear, this past Saturday, Northern Arizona commit Colin Sahlman became the 13th high schooler to break the four minute barrier in the mile. Sahlman did it in 3:58.81, and closed the final 200m in 27.79. Even crazier is that he did it against a field of collegians and professionals, some being Olympians. Another Newbury Park phenom, Lex Young came just six-hundredths of a second from the 3000m high school national record when he ran 7:57.06 on Saturday. Just ahead of the junior was someone he knows pretty well, his older brother Nico, who currently runs at Northern Arizona. Just behind the brothers in 4th all-time is Aaron Sahlman (8:01.92), the younger brother of Colin. What stands out the most to me in all of the hype that rightfully surrounds Newbury Park, is the fact that two years ago, all four of these athletes along with Lex’s twin, Leo (HS 3 mile national record holder), were teammates at Newbury Park.
This team and their feats may or may not be impressive to some (I don’t understand how it couldn’t be), but the rarity that is Newbury Park and their absurd performances that they continue to put out has never stopped amazing me, and honestly won’t until they stop getting better.
Nick Willis 🤝 Kansas
A huge shoutout to @millvalleytrack for letting me in on an interesting fact about how Nick Willis did in fact have a tie to Kansas. It turns out that during his undergrad at the University of Michigan, Willis lived with Mark Misch, a Baker University graduate and the current head coach at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. It may not be a strong connection, but it’s a Kansas connection.
We have another good week of competition coming up with both Washburn and Pittsburg State hosting a plethora of Kansas teams this weekend. There’s even some professional meets going on to this weekend that are sure to bring some excitement! If you find yourself on your couch wondering what you could possibly watch on your television, we’ve got a little guide below to show you what’s happening this weekend in track and field.
Friday —> 8:00 am CT — BU Valentine Invite
Friday —> 7:30 pm CT — Teare & Hocker, 🇺🇸 Indoor Mile Record Attempt
Friday —> 7:50 pm CT — Lilac Grand Prix by Tracklandia
Saturday —> 7:00 am CT — BU Valentine Invite
I’m not sure if you can watch the BU Valentine Invite, but there are some fast seeded distance events that might be worth following the live results for. As always, thank you for reading this and if you want us to cover something that you don’t think we cover enough, our DM’s are always open and so is our email, ksxcountrytandf@gmail.com. We hope you have a great weekend and enjoy some track and field for us