Middle schoolers are getting fasterš³
An interview with Emily Venters and rapid highlights from around the state
Emily Ventersš
Emily Venters is without a doubt one of the greatest high school talents Kansas has ever seen. She has five state championships, nine additional All-State finishes, a 32nd place finish at Nike Cross Nationals, and PRās of 4:49.36 (1600m), 10:16.61 (3200m) and 16:56.00 (5k XC) to her name. She was one of the most exciting athletes to watch, and always left everything on the track or course. After she graduated in 2017, Venters signed with Boise State, where she helped the team finish 6th at the cross country national championships in each of her first two seasons, even earning All-American status in 2018. Flash forward to 2022, and Venters is a Utah Ute. She helped the program see success it had never seen before in cross country, and is already lighting up the track during her outdoor season. After my snippet on her last week, I thought it would be fun for all of us to catch up with her and learn more about the Lawrence Free State graduate. If you find yourself in Salt Lake City, Utah and you see Emily, go ahead and thank for her for giving some amazing answers!
The following interview with Venters was conducted over Instagram DMās, and was left in itās entirety.
1. Before you transitioned to collegiate running, you were a dominant force in Kansas. Out of all of your accomplishments/experiences, which one stands out to you the most?
I would say my senior year when Cailie, Molly and I were running some of the fastest times in KS Hs history & just pushing KS and each other onto the national scene. KU Relays was a fun one when we all 3 broke Emily Sissonās meet record! Those girls are great & itās been fun to get to see their success in college as well!
2. What characteristics of the Boise State program and the university as a whole made you choose it over other schools?
I chose Boise for a few reasons. First, I just really loved the city. It felt home-y and I loved the foothills and access to so many running trails. Second, I liked the fact that they were a program on the rise. I thought it was exciting to think about being part of that & helping give a name to Boise State.
3. Was there a main reason you decided to transfer to Colorado away from Boise State, and why did you choose Colorado?
There was a lot that went into that decision. Academics, being far from home, wanting a bigger school & better overall experience (not just with the running). I chose Colorado because it had been a place I had wanted to go to out of High school. Itās also a 7.5 hour easy, straight drive from my homeā¦and an hour flightā¦so I got to see my family a lot more. Additionally, they are ranked as one of the top universities in the country for the Integrative Physiology (the degree I got).
4. How was your experience at Colorado? I know it was riddled with injury bugs, but was there anything else that prompted you to transfer to Utah?
Iām not going to speak on my experience at Colorado, because I donāt really have much to say. I chose to transfer to Utah for graduate school because I wanted to give running one more chance before I let it go. I knew that I would be able to get myself back to where I was, I just needed the right environment to do it in. I heard so many good things about the program and coaches at Utah, I honestly just went for it. I knew basically no one, nor had ever even seen the campus before I came here in the fall. Right when I got here though, I knew it was going to be a really happy place for me.
5. You had a great season this last Fall at Utah, what was the high and the low of your first season as a Ute?
This is a hard questionā¦I feel like there were so many highs. Honestly, it was just such a happy moment for me lining up for my first XC race after not having raced in 3 years. I went in to the season trying to put no expectations on myself, but after the first race I knew I was back & from there I kinda just began to really believe in myself again. Another great moment was when our team got 2nd at Pac-12s. After the first race (when we won), we knew we had a special team & we just kept setting our goals higher and higher. To be able to get 2nd at pac-12s, not far off from Colorado, was the best finish in program history & was just an exciting day for Utah!
The low of the season was probably the end of the season. I came down with a really bad sinus infection around the time of regionals (so I couldnāt race). Unfortunately, it just seemed to linger and linger until I eventually went on antibiotics right before nationals. Racing nationals did not go as planned & I ended up not finishing. It was pretty hard on me, just the fact that I didnāt even finish for my team when they were counting on me. It left an awful taste in my mouth, but I can truly say Iāve never felt that āout of bodyā in a race until then. It was quite awfulā¦but, now Iāve grown a lot from the experience!
6. Youāve had the chance to run in some of the most beautiful places in the country (Idaho, Colorado, Utah), what is your favorite route/trail out of all three?
I would say my #1 favorite trail was in the Boise Foothills. I just loved being able to run 800m from the track into the foothills. They were amazing & it was definitely one of the best parts about Boise. I miss them! My #2 favorite place to run is Jeremy Ranch road near Park City! Itās hilly and windy, but beautiful! You can definitely get fit on that road.
7. I loved your piece for the Stride Report that you did in 2020. If you could say one thing to the younger generation of female runners, what would you tell them?
This is also a hard question!! Thereās a lot I would want to tell young female runners. If I had to choose one thing though, Iād probably tell them to not lose focus of who they are outside of running. Itās so easy to get your identity wrapped up in just the sport you doā¦you know when people ask you to describe yourself, often the first thing youāll say is āI am a runner.ā Well yes, thatās trueā¦but, itās just a piece of who you are. I learned this lesson the hard way when I got hurt at CU. It just crushed me and I was so sad because I felt like my whole world and identity was goneā¦but, then I slowly started to grow & realize that there was a lot more to me than just running! If you have that mindset, youāll go far!
8. After you finish your time at Utah, do you think youāre going to pursue a professional running career? If not, what are your plans post-college?
Iām not sure what the future holds for sure yet. Sometimes I want to run professionally and other times I feel that I might be ready to move on and chase my other goals! Iāll definitely explore the professional options next year if I get them though! Other than running, however, I do have aspirations to go to PA (physician assistant) school & work in a childrenās hospital someday!
St. Thomas Aquinas Heads to the Windy CityšØ
The St. Thomas Aquinas trio, who are coming off of their 8th straight 5A state title in November, are still dominating the distance events in track, this time in the 3200m. Coach Justin Wrigley and his trio of distance studs made the eight hour drive to Palatine, Illinois, for a Distance Night in Palatine where Logan Seger, Colby King, and Ashton Higgerson all ran the 3200m along with 59 other athletes throughout the night. Seger dropped a 9:12.67, the 5A lead and the second fastest time across the state. King, just a junior, lowered his PR down to 9:18.39, the second fastest time in 5A and 4th throughout all classes. Higgerson, ran 9:36.17, which would rank him 14th in the state. However, earlier this month at the Blue Valley NW Spring Classic, the Air Force bound senior ran 9:23.43, the 3rd fastest time in 5A. Year after year, the Saints continue to develop multiple athletes into the best in the state, and this year Coach Wrigley has himself a trio of them.
Fort Hays State is Pole Vault UšÆ
Last Sunday, at the ESU Midwest Classic in Emporia, Kansas, the pole vault group from Fort Hays State made their way to Welch Stadium, where they swept the top three spots. Jacob Clark, hot off a 6th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, won the meet with a new PR clearance of 17-3, the 5th best mark in DII. In second was Ryan Stanley, the back-to-back national champion in the event, dating back to the 2021 edition of the outdoor championships. Stanley cleared 16-8.75, but his mark of 17-0.75 from early April ranks him 9th in the nation. Mark Faber, the final piece of the Tiger trifecta, cleared 16-0.75 in Emporia, good enough for the 26th best clearance of the outdoor season. All three men have hit the provisional mark, and are sitting in 5th, 9th and 24th among all athletes in Division II.
Aria Pearceš„
Remember Aria Pearce? Back in February, we did a piece over a speedy 7th grader from Sharon Springs, Kansas, a small town near the Colorado border. After a great indoor season, Pearce has put together one of the most dominant outdoor seasons I could imagine for a 7th grader. So far, sheās set PRās in the 100m, 200m and long jump. Her PR of 11.79 was ran at the Tabor College Invite, making her the fastest athlete in the state, faster than all high schoolers. In the 200m, Pearce ran 24.69, the second fastest time among all athletes. In the long jump she has a mark of 18-1.5, also the second best mark in the state. Even more impressive than that, Pearce is the fastest middle schooler in the nation (7th & 8th) in the 100m, and the 3rd fastest in the 200m. Her long jump mark also tops every other middle schooler as well, leaving Pearce in a league of her own as the most dominant middle school sprinter. Last Saturday, Pearce won the 100m at Tabor, taking down talented collegiate athletes in the process, some who were close to ten years older than her! She also took 2nd in the 200m to an extremely talented Corrssia Perry of Sterling. Get comfortable folks, because over the next few years, she is only going to get faster and become an even bigger deal!
Jenna Ramsey to School of Minesš
Emporia State superstar Jenna Ramsey is taking her talents to Golden, Colorado, joining a very talented Colorado School of Mines program. Ramsey will be adding quite a bit of star power to the Orediggers team, sporting PRās of 9:43.86 in the 3k, 16:41.40 in the 5k, and a 20:54.7 in the 6k on the grass. In her two years as a Hornet, Ramsey claimed four MIAA conference titles on both the track and the grass. She dominated twenty-five laps in Pittsburg (21ā Outdoor) last year to win the outdoor 10k, followed it up with a 6k victory in Joplin (21ā XC) in the fall, and then a double victory in the 3k and 5k in Marysville (22ā Indoor). The rising DII star will be joining a team in arguably the most competitive conference in the nation, the RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference). The RMAC saw five teams along with Mines all qualify for the cross country national championships last year.
Adams Stateš„ (Defending Champs)
UC-Colorado Springs (7th Place)
Western Colorado (9th Place)
CSU-Pueblo (20th Place)
Colorado Christian (22nd Place)
Colorado School of Mines just got a star, and she may be the last piece to the puzzle, taking the Orediggers above their RMAC competition and the rest of the nation! Good luck Jenna!
Hoppel Is Coming Homeš
1:43.23 800m PR
World Indoor Championship Bronze Medalistš„
World Outdoor Championship 19ā Finalist
Tokyo 2020 Semi-Finalist
Thatās right, Bryce Hoppel, former Jayhawk, national champion and Olympian is racing at his alma mater tomorrow (04/30) at the Rock Chalk Classic at Rock Chalk Park. Heās in his signature event, the 800m at 7:45pm. Tickets are only $10 a person, and I personally think thatās worth it to watch an athlete of his caliber in person.
Gavin Lindahl: Fastest 7th Grader in the Country?
Yes thatās right! Thereās another 7th grader tearing it up in Kansas! Gavin Lindahl of Buhler has been having a great track season, competing anywhere from the 200m to the 1600m. In the 200m and 400m, Lindahl has run 26.59 and 59.23, making him the 23rd and 39th fastest 7th grader. Considering Lindahl is primarily a distance runner, thatās pretty impressive in my eyes. What I think is even more impressive is his 1600m/800m duo. Yesterday, he ran 4:52 in the 1600m, and 2:14.33 in the 800m, both the 8th fastest among 7th grade boys in the country. In cross country, heās already ran 18:04.10, and could go sub-18 before he is even in high school. I canāt say Iām surprised that. Lindahl is already a top athlete at this age, his two older brothers Tanner (State Champ and Air Force commit) and Austin (16:53 5k as freshman) have paved the way for him and shown him what discipline and strong training can lead to. Keep an eye on Gavin, because heāll have the chance to see a lot of success over the next five years.
As of today, we are just four weeks away from the start of the Kansas State Track & Field Championships! As each day passes, things begin to get more serious, with league championships and regionals just around the corner. For our collegiate athletes, they are all getting ready for their conference championships over the next few weekends, including the Heart of America and KCAC championships taking place next weekend. Strap in everybody, things are going to start heating up around the state, and weāve got a front row seat to the show. If youāre an avid fan of the sport like myself, go find yourself some track & field to watch this weekend, there is plenty to go around!