Kansas State University Athletics
Miner’s Confident Mindset
Jan 29, 2025 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The odds were not in her favor. Stella Miner didn't feel ready. But she figured she had to start somewhere, so she might as well give it a go. She had only a couple weeks of consistent training behind her. She came to Kansas State injured. Stress reactions after a high school track meet prevented her from postseason competition her high school senior year. She ran on the ground only a few times the entire fall semester in Manhattan. Training? She biked. A lot.
"Still, I was pretty confident going into the race," she says. "There were a lot of fast people in the 1,000 meters, so looking back, it's something I'm proud of. Yeah, I'm proud. I get a lot of confidence before races.
"I wasn't questioning it, but I could've been."
No, Miner put any trepidation aside and made a major statement. Miner, a freshman from Omaha, Nebraska, convinced herself that she was excited instead of nervous — "that was the main task leading up to it," she says — ripped off five laps in seemingly lightning-fast fashion, pulling ahead of a crowd of fellow competitors and won the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:51.74 in her first collegiate track meet at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular at the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track on January 17.
"When I get on the track," she says, "I don't ever feel like I can fail, you know? That's the mindset that's always worked for me. I've had reasons to doubt for sure in my high school career. Some seasons I didn't race at all. Other seasons I did not finish every race. Every successful season I've been happy, I've been excited about racing, and I haven't failed.
"That's the attitude I'm trying to take into every race."
Such was the case last Friday when she finished runner-up in the mile with a time of 4:51.36 at the Red Raider Invite in Lubbock, Texas.
"I was pretty happy with it," she says. "I haven't run a full mile before. I'm happy with it because I don't feel physically fit right now, to be honest. I was like, 'OK, I'm all right.'"
Injuries paused just long enough for Miner to achieve some outstanding feats at Westside High School, where she holds the Nebraska state records in the 800 and 1,600 meters and 4x800 relay, and she was a three-time 2024 state champion in the 800 and 1,600 meters and 4x800 relay. Still, the 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year finalist wasn't convinced that she'd run at the collegiate level.
"Didn't think I was going to run competitively until about a month before I committed to K-State," she says. "I was telling people my senior year that I wasn't going to run in college. I had a rough junior year and my senior cross country season was just all right, but I wasn't having fun. I'm not a huge fan of cross country in general. I wasn't excited about running at that time. People were mad at me: 'What do you mean you're not going in college?' I was like, 'Fine, OK, I'll start talking to some schools.'"
She took some official visits. Her father showed her pictures of K-State's new indoor facility. Recruited by the previous cross country coach, Randy Cole, it was the newly-assembled K-State track and field coaching staff that ultimately swept her off her feet.
"It was a good visit," she says. "I was really impressed with the facilities. It makes sense why so many pros want to train there. The campus is beautiful. The team was just so much fun. I loved the girls. They were so sweet. We got along really well. It was just a great atmosphere. There was some uncertainty about the new coaching staff, but after seeing the investment K-State has made in the program and in the facilities, I was confident it was going to be something amazing.
"I love the coaching staff. It's amazing. I feel like I won the lottery being here. Everyone is so fun, and they're so invested. I've had some difficult training with my injuries, and it's been hard, but I cannot thank our coaches enough for helping me so well."
There was a time when running seemingly wasn't in the cards for Miner before all this began. That's because she grew up a competitive swimmer. But the course of her sporting career changed when she ran the mile in 5:16 in the sixth grade.
"My middle-school teachers were like, 'Oh my gosh, you need to drop everything,'" Miner says.
Currently, she's picking up a bunch of pleasant memories — and she's only competed in two events in her college career.
"I feel like I'm still building up and trying to figure out how to train," she says. "I hope to be able to get more mileage in as the season progresses. I mean, I'm hoping to place at conference this season. We'll see what happens. I don't feel like I'm at 100% yet, but I'm hoping by outdoor season I'll feel very fit.
"Every race makes me a little more confident."
And in only a couple of weeks, things have seemingly emphatically turned in her favor.
The odds were not in her favor. Stella Miner didn't feel ready. But she figured she had to start somewhere, so she might as well give it a go. She had only a couple weeks of consistent training behind her. She came to Kansas State injured. Stress reactions after a high school track meet prevented her from postseason competition her high school senior year. She ran on the ground only a few times the entire fall semester in Manhattan. Training? She biked. A lot.
"Still, I was pretty confident going into the race," she says. "There were a lot of fast people in the 1,000 meters, so looking back, it's something I'm proud of. Yeah, I'm proud. I get a lot of confidence before races.
"I wasn't questioning it, but I could've been."
No, Miner put any trepidation aside and made a major statement. Miner, a freshman from Omaha, Nebraska, convinced herself that she was excited instead of nervous — "that was the main task leading up to it," she says — ripped off five laps in seemingly lightning-fast fashion, pulling ahead of a crowd of fellow competitors and won the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:51.74 in her first collegiate track meet at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular at the Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track on January 17.
"When I get on the track," she says, "I don't ever feel like I can fail, you know? That's the mindset that's always worked for me. I've had reasons to doubt for sure in my high school career. Some seasons I didn't race at all. Other seasons I did not finish every race. Every successful season I've been happy, I've been excited about racing, and I haven't failed.
"That's the attitude I'm trying to take into every race."
Such was the case last Friday when she finished runner-up in the mile with a time of 4:51.36 at the Red Raider Invite in Lubbock, Texas.
"I was pretty happy with it," she says. "I haven't run a full mile before. I'm happy with it because I don't feel physically fit right now, to be honest. I was like, 'OK, I'm all right.'"
Injuries paused just long enough for Miner to achieve some outstanding feats at Westside High School, where she holds the Nebraska state records in the 800 and 1,600 meters and 4x800 relay, and she was a three-time 2024 state champion in the 800 and 1,600 meters and 4x800 relay. Still, the 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year finalist wasn't convinced that she'd run at the collegiate level.
"Didn't think I was going to run competitively until about a month before I committed to K-State," she says. "I was telling people my senior year that I wasn't going to run in college. I had a rough junior year and my senior cross country season was just all right, but I wasn't having fun. I'm not a huge fan of cross country in general. I wasn't excited about running at that time. People were mad at me: 'What do you mean you're not going in college?' I was like, 'Fine, OK, I'll start talking to some schools.'"
She took some official visits. Her father showed her pictures of K-State's new indoor facility. Recruited by the previous cross country coach, Randy Cole, it was the newly-assembled K-State track and field coaching staff that ultimately swept her off her feet.
"It was a good visit," she says. "I was really impressed with the facilities. It makes sense why so many pros want to train there. The campus is beautiful. The team was just so much fun. I loved the girls. They were so sweet. We got along really well. It was just a great atmosphere. There was some uncertainty about the new coaching staff, but after seeing the investment K-State has made in the program and in the facilities, I was confident it was going to be something amazing.
"I love the coaching staff. It's amazing. I feel like I won the lottery being here. Everyone is so fun, and they're so invested. I've had some difficult training with my injuries, and it's been hard, but I cannot thank our coaches enough for helping me so well."
There was a time when running seemingly wasn't in the cards for Miner before all this began. That's because she grew up a competitive swimmer. But the course of her sporting career changed when she ran the mile in 5:16 in the sixth grade.
"My middle-school teachers were like, 'Oh my gosh, you need to drop everything,'" Miner says.
Currently, she's picking up a bunch of pleasant memories — and she's only competed in two events in her college career.
"I feel like I'm still building up and trying to figure out how to train," she says. "I hope to be able to get more mileage in as the season progresses. I mean, I'm hoping to place at conference this season. We'll see what happens. I don't feel like I'm at 100% yet, but I'm hoping by outdoor season I'll feel very fit.
"Every race makes me a little more confident."
And in only a couple of weeks, things have seemingly emphatically turned in her favor.
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