Love to Compete

By: D. Scott Fritchen

They're bussing to Peoria, Illinois, on Thursday, a beautiful fall expedition to compete in the Bradley Pink Classic at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Junior Grace Meyer has never competed at Bradley. None of her Kansas State women's cross country teammates have, either. But Meyer is eager to take on a new challenge. She has never shied from a challenge. Her state-of-mind is summarized in one word: Compete.

"It's been two weeks now since the last time we raced," she says. "I get antsy after two weeks of not racing."

The last time Meyer raced, she recorded her 6K personal best by running a 21:24.5 at the Gans Creek Classic on September 27. Before that, she finished runner-up in the 5K with a time of 18:06.2 at the Bob Timmons Classic on August 31. So, it has been a little while – too long, she would argue – yet she never tires from running 55-60 miles each week or the 7-to-9 mile runs with teammates on "Easy-Run Wednesday," when first-year head coach Kate Bucknam allows the student-athletes the opportunity to run when they want to.

"I'll get my easy run in and then go to the training center and do recovery," Meyer says. "Then a couple days a week I do rehab for my ankles. My ankles don't like me. I have to make sure I'm strengthening them."

There's no doubting Meyer's strength or competitiveness on the course.

As a sophomore last year, she competed in her first NCAA Midwest Regional where she finished third for the Wildcats with a 6K time of 21:48.4, placing 56^th. She aspires to reach the Midwest Regional again this year. But first, she's eager to see how she finishes in the new-look Big 12 Conference.

"There's obviously more talent this year with the new teams in the conference," she says. "I'm very aware that the competition level will be raised a lot but that's just a challenge. It's just more people to race and more competition to beat."

It's been a year of adjustment — and exciting times — for Meyer. Bucknam was announced as head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach on August 2. With Bucknam came new coaching philosophies and a new training regimen and a certain confidence that Meyer appreciated.

"I don't think anybody had any doubts because we heard great things about Coach Kate, and honestly the coaching staff as a whole has come out guns blazing, and they've been so impressive since Day One with their energy," Meyer says. "You can tell they have a plan for what they want to accomplish as a team and as a program. Coach Kate is extremely supportive. She knows what she's doing, and I have a lot of trust in her."

Through this adjustment period, Meyer finds herself assuming a leadership role, adding that "things are constantly clicking with the team."

"I don't think everything just clicked at once," she says. "Our girls side definitely has a younger team this year and a smaller team, but we don't let that affect us. We've all really connected well together and push each other a lot. We have a really good team bond. We want the best for each other. Every day is a step in the right direction."

As for the biggest philosophical shift between last year and this year?

"Two very different philosophies," Meyer says. "Coach Kate is definitely more endurance-based on getting high mileage, which I really appreciate because I'm more of a high-mileage runner. I tend to run longer distances for cross country, like 55-60 miles every week. That's just what works for me. The workouts are a little bit different. It's just more quality workouts with more tempos and not going balls to the wall every practice, which is what we did last year.

"I thrive more off of the training we're getting now."

There was a time when Meyer competed on a different field — a soccer field. She attended Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas, and played soccer her freshman year. Jason and Sarah Meyer noticed her high endurance on the field and ability to play all 90 minutes. They thought she might ought to try running.

"I tried it out," Grace says. "I was very against it. I didn't want anything to do with running. Then I tried it my freshman year. I placed top 10 in the state. I thought, 'Maybe this is what I need to do.'"

What did Meyer like best about running?

"The competition," she replies. "I feel like a broken record talking about competing."

She chuckles.

But she was all business in high school. She was a member of the Class 6A All-State Cross Country team all four years of high school and finished top 10 at each state meet. She was selected Class 6A All-State in the 800 meters, 1,600 meters, 4x400 relay and 4x800 relay 10 times.

The list of accolades goes on and on.

"After my freshman year, I got four medals in track at state. I thought, 'I must be pretty good at this running thing,'" Meyer says. "My parents said, 'You can do some great things with this if you put all your time into running.

"I took their word. I ran with it."

And it's definitely paying dividends.

The first member of her family to attend K-State, Grace now has younger brothers — Charlie, Frank and George — who might aspire to spend their college days in Manhattan as well.

Grace's days at K-State are far from over. But she's learning things about herself every day.

"The biggest thing I've learned about myself throughout my years here so far is I can always push myself to go harder," she says. "Throughout the years, I'm putting more trust into myself. As a freshman, you have those nerves. I've developed a lot of trust in myself when it comes to not only training but also just in life. I think in college, you mature a lot, and you learn a lot about yourself. I've learned I can always push myself to go harder."

Which brings Meyer and K-State to now. And they'll soon be competing at the Bradley Pink Classic. Meyer has never raced the course. So, there's some uncertainty.

"It leaves you on your toes a little bit," she says, "but in a good way."

She will look to beat her personal best. And, really, in the end, it will come down to her personal philosophy, the one she's carried since those high school days: Compete.

"When I hit the starting line of a race, I don't have a time in mind," she says. "For me, it's about competing and placing for my team. What keeps me focused in races is just my competitive side. What keeps me focused is knowing there's another girl to catch.

"I'm not satisfied by any means."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Grace Meyer

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