SE: Heinz Hits Ground Running Well for K-State Track and Field
Jan 23, 2020 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Macy Heinz's first race – her first lap, even — in a K-State track and field uniform showed her everything she needed to know about her new teammates. Even if she only knew a handful of their names.
A mid-year transfer from the University of South Dakota, Heinz arrived in Manhattan on January 4. She had two practices before hopping on a plane to Lexington, Kentucky for the Jim Green Invitational. By then, she had memorized some names and recognized more faces but was still in the process of putting the two together.
As for her first event as a Wildcat, the 800-meter run, Heinz won it with a then-personal best time of 2:10.12. It placed her 10th on K-State's all-time list. The result and the time, however, were not what stood out about the experience. Her teammates were.
"I don't even know like half the team yet, and I come around the corner and then all of a sudden everyone's, like, 'Go, Macy!' I was, like, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't even know these people knew my name!'" Heinz said, as K-State hosts the DeLoss Dodds Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Ahearn Field House. "I definitely felt a lot of love and everyone's been super helpful to me."
Heinz has appreciated all the help she's received at K-State. Her transition, she admitted, has been a "little crazy."
Last semester, she was running cross country for South Dakota. This semester, the South Dakota native's a nine-hour drive from home. She started classes at K-State on Tuesday, doing her best to navigate a new and larger campus. The newness, it seems like, has been never ending since she got here.
One constant, she said, has been her team.
"This team is awesome," Heinz said. "It's a testament to how awesome this team is…that's kind of why my transition has been so smooth, because they've been super accommodating and super accepting in helping me out with whatever. It's been great."
When Heinz decided to enter the transfer portal to pursue a "better fit," both athletically and academically, she gravitated toward K-State. Coming out of high school as one of the most decorated runners in South Dakota history, Heinz said the Wildcats ultimately were her second choice behind the in-state Coyotes.
Fast forward to last semester, when she learned there was an open spot on K-State's roster from cross country head coach/assistant track and field coach Ryun Godfrey, it was all but a done deal.
"I didn't really look anywhere else, pretty much because I've been here before," Heinz, who won 20 South Dakota high school championships between cross country and track and field, said. "I really liked it here, so I didn't really entertain any other options."
Looking back on her first recruitment, Heinz said the positive experiences she had at K-State and her visit to Manhattan made her transfer destination easy.
"I just look back on my visit and I just had a really good experience, overall. I felt really loved by the team and by the coaching staff. Just by initially meeting them, I was, like, 'Wow, these people really seem to care about their athletes,' and I saw a really well-run program and a successful program," Heinz said, as K-State's women have finished first, first and second in the last three Big 12 Outdoor Championships — a meet the team will host this May. "Coach Ryun was great. I thought he'd be really fun to be coached by and he runs just an awesome middle-distance program. So, that stuck out to me. As I've been here, I think it's stayed pretty true to that."
Heinz adds even more depth to K-State's middle-distance group.
Last week at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular, she recorded another personal-best in the 800 and won the race to help K-State bring the in-state trophy back to Manhattan. The junior ran a 2:09.67 to move into No. 8 on K-State's all-time indoor list.
She said she hopes her first few races are the start of even better things to come.
"That's exciting. That'll be something to hopefully keep working toward," she said of moving into K-State's record book already. "I think it's a good start to the season. I was a little concerned, hopping into a new training program, that I might be feeling a little off right away, but thanks to Coach Ryun and the girls, I think I'm adjusting pretty well. These are my best season openers I've ever had — so, a good start. Hopefully things keep going in a good trajectory. I'm happy with the start of it."
Macy Heinz's first race – her first lap, even — in a K-State track and field uniform showed her everything she needed to know about her new teammates. Even if she only knew a handful of their names.
A mid-year transfer from the University of South Dakota, Heinz arrived in Manhattan on January 4. She had two practices before hopping on a plane to Lexington, Kentucky for the Jim Green Invitational. By then, she had memorized some names and recognized more faces but was still in the process of putting the two together.
As for her first event as a Wildcat, the 800-meter run, Heinz won it with a then-personal best time of 2:10.12. It placed her 10th on K-State's all-time list. The result and the time, however, were not what stood out about the experience. Her teammates were.
"I don't even know like half the team yet, and I come around the corner and then all of a sudden everyone's, like, 'Go, Macy!' I was, like, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't even know these people knew my name!'" Heinz said, as K-State hosts the DeLoss Dodds Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Ahearn Field House. "I definitely felt a lot of love and everyone's been super helpful to me."
Heinz has appreciated all the help she's received at K-State. Her transition, she admitted, has been a "little crazy."
Last semester, she was running cross country for South Dakota. This semester, the South Dakota native's a nine-hour drive from home. She started classes at K-State on Tuesday, doing her best to navigate a new and larger campus. The newness, it seems like, has been never ending since she got here.
One constant, she said, has been her team.
"This team is awesome," Heinz said. "It's a testament to how awesome this team is…that's kind of why my transition has been so smooth, because they've been super accommodating and super accepting in helping me out with whatever. It's been great."
When Heinz decided to enter the transfer portal to pursue a "better fit," both athletically and academically, she gravitated toward K-State. Coming out of high school as one of the most decorated runners in South Dakota history, Heinz said the Wildcats ultimately were her second choice behind the in-state Coyotes.
Fast forward to last semester, when she learned there was an open spot on K-State's roster from cross country head coach/assistant track and field coach Ryun Godfrey, it was all but a done deal.
"I didn't really look anywhere else, pretty much because I've been here before," Heinz, who won 20 South Dakota high school championships between cross country and track and field, said. "I really liked it here, so I didn't really entertain any other options."
Looking back on her first recruitment, Heinz said the positive experiences she had at K-State and her visit to Manhattan made her transfer destination easy.
"I just look back on my visit and I just had a really good experience, overall. I felt really loved by the team and by the coaching staff. Just by initially meeting them, I was, like, 'Wow, these people really seem to care about their athletes,' and I saw a really well-run program and a successful program," Heinz said, as K-State's women have finished first, first and second in the last three Big 12 Outdoor Championships — a meet the team will host this May. "Coach Ryun was great. I thought he'd be really fun to be coached by and he runs just an awesome middle-distance program. So, that stuck out to me. As I've been here, I think it's stayed pretty true to that."
Heinz adds even more depth to K-State's middle-distance group.
Last week at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular, she recorded another personal-best in the 800 and won the race to help K-State bring the in-state trophy back to Manhattan. The junior ran a 2:09.67 to move into No. 8 on K-State's all-time indoor list.
She said she hopes her first few races are the start of even better things to come.
"That's exciting. That'll be something to hopefully keep working toward," she said of moving into K-State's record book already. "I think it's a good start to the season. I was a little concerned, hopping into a new training program, that I might be feeling a little off right away, but thanks to Coach Ryun and the girls, I think I'm adjusting pretty well. These are my best season openers I've ever had — so, a good start. Hopefully things keep going in a good trajectory. I'm happy with the start of it."
Players Mentioned
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