Confidence on the Rise

By: D. Scott Fritchen

It was 1,000 meters to go. It was a final hill at Mahoney Cross Country Course in Ashland, Nebraska, that final obstacle with 400 meters left, and it was Kansas State senior Cecilia Fisher, running elbow-to-elbow for a period with another competitor, yet slowing breaking away, a three-second gap between the two, as Fisher, a mixture of adrenaline and confidence crackling through her, picked up her knees, maintained her form, and sped ahead. With 50 meters to go, Fisher glanced at the finish line, where the frontrunner had crossed, revealing that she would finish runner-up at the Platte River Rumble Gold 5K. With 10 meters to go, she studied the clock, numbers flipping rapidly, and which revealed all the early-morning practices and afternoon runs had paid handsome dividends.

Fisher finished second place at the Platte River Rumble Gold 5K women's cross-country event with a time of 17 minutes, 21.52 seconds, which destroyed her previous personal best of 17:59.0 that she ran as a freshman at the Chile Pepper Festival on September 30, 2022.

Fisher's time of 17:21.52 at the Platte River Rumble Gold 5K was significant for another reason as well.

It was one of the 25 fastest times in the history of K-State women's cross country.

"It was very exciting," Fisher says. "I knew I had the talent to do it. My training has shown me that I had a big personal best in store. That was really exciting and encouraging for me. Very thrilling. I was very proud of myself and the hard work of all the girls on the team. There were a lot of personal records across the board. It's so exciting we've found so much success early in the season."

Fisher was the star as the K-State women's cross-country team won the Platte River Rumble Gold 5K — a race in which senior Grace Meyer (she finished third at 17:29.4) and sophomore Christine Jerono (she finished fifth at 17:31.5) also placed in the top five while nine runners total finished in the top 50.

"The final stretch was epic," Fisher says. "All the fans were congregating there and cheering me on and all the girls on, and I focused on pumping my arms and getting my knees up. I took it all the way across the finish line. I was so happy to see my two teammates not too far behind me. That was really exciting."

It was the K-State women's cross-country team's first win at an event in nearly two years, a proud moment for second-year cross country coach Kate Bucknam, for sure, and an emphatic start for a women's cross-country team seemingly destined for big things this fall with Bucknam and Travis Geopfert, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, leading the charge with unbridled passion.

"The new coaching staff, Travis, he brings a lot of energy," Fisher says. "The energy has changed along with knowing we're working for something bigger."

The week coming off Fisher and K-State's success in Nebraska felt different. It brimmed with confidence. Fisher attended all her same classes at K-State and like any other week, for five hours on Tuesday, she served as a para-educator at Manhattan High School, as she seeks to gain and refine classroom management and class observation skills to become a high school math teacher upon graduation. But there was also running. A lot of running. Mornings. Afternoons. Fisher says that she typically runs 65 miles per week.

"It's about stacking bricks," Fisher says. "I don't want to peak right now. It's not time to have my best race yet. I know I'll have an even better race in the future. I'm just working toward that."

Already armed with one of the 25 fastest times in K-State cross country history, Fisher pauses, as if allowing the enormity of the feat to settle in.

"It's very surreal," she says. "I give a lot of that credit to God in glorifying Him in whatever I do, knowing my gift of running comes from above. It's been really encouraging to me that my patience in myself and in my training — it was a long road to get here, to where I am right now, but I was patient and never gave up."

She thinks to her first big triumph, when she ran under 18 minutes for the first time in her life. Her mouth dry, the afternoon sun beating down, she kicked up dust from the cross-country course of soft rolling hills in Fayetteville, Arkansas, nearing her goal stride by stride. Fisher, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, who graduated Summa Cum Laude at Blue Valley Northwest, found herself graduating to a new level in the sport that she loves in running a 17:59.0 that day at the Chile Pepper Festival.

"In some ways, the time has flown by, and it seems like it happened last year," Fisher reflects. "In other ways, it seems like it was a different time. Yeah, it does seem like it was just yesterday."

But so much can transpire in a matter of years.

As a freshman, she medaled in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2022 Big 12 Championships, finishing eighth, and as a sophomore she advanced to the NCAA West Preliminary in the event. She was the only K-State freshman to compete in all six meets during the cross-country season and advanced to the 2022, 2023 and 2024 NCAA Midwest Regional.

Meanwhile, she's earned All-Big 12, CSC All-District, and USTFCCCA All-Academic honors along the way and most recently earned the 2025 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award.

"I'm really proud that I've maintained a strong GPA and have received academic awards," she says. "I was able to find a niche event that really played to my strengths, the steeplechase, and made it to regionals my sophomore year. The girls' cross-country team took fifth place at regionals, which was the highest the team had placed in a long time."

In life, transitions happen. Randy Cole left as cross-country coach, and Bucknam arrived with new energy and fresh perspective.

"Both are good in their own ways," Fisher says. "Coach Kate is a lot more relaxed, and she isn't watching us all the time and gives us the freedom to do what we need to do. We can do it ourselves and she doesn't need to shepherd us through it all. The training regimen between Coach Cole and now Coach Kate is pretty similar, and with distance running the training doesn't change too much. Both appreciate lots of communication. The biggest difference is Coach Kate is just a little bit more laid back, and I feel like I can tailor things more for what I need, which is nice, and she also realizes we're college students and we have a life outside of cross country. She really supports that."

Meanwhile, Fisher has felt herself improve.

"Technique wise, definitely in the last year, in my form I'm a lot more relaxed when I run, and my strides are faster, I focus on getting my knees up and standing up tall and doing a better job of getting my feet off the ground," Fisher says. "I have a better stride. That's helped a lot with efficiency and confidence. In the last couple months, my confidence in myself as a runner, has increased, and the reason I did so well at this first meet was because I didn't have any reservations. I knew that I could be up there. I didn't have a small voice holding me back midrace.

"Having the coaches telling me I'm doing great in practices and giving me that confidence with their comments has helped a lot."

And now comes the fun part. More opportunities to grow. More opportunities to shine as a senior. And that's fun.

K-State next competes at the Joe Piane Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, on October 3 in South Bend, Indiana. Then the Wildcats take on the Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Missouri, on October 18 in Columbia, Missouri. Two weeks later, K-State competes in the Big 12 Championship at Rim Rock Farm on October 31 in Lawrence, Kansas.

"Something I'm keeping in mind, especially in the next race and all the races to come, is to continue to work together with my teammates," Fisher says. "Really, that race that I had, I wouldn't have been able to do as well if I didn't have my teammates there with me. We worked together most of that race. I just had the extra juice to pull away at the end. It'll be really important to continue to work together in practice and push each other, and then when the race arrives, we have that confidence and can run as a pack and build off each other and ultimately succeed together."

What has Fisher learned most about herself during her journey?

"I've learned that consistency is key," she says. "Just keep showing up for myself at practice, and keep doing the little things, and progress isn't always linear. I had a tough season last year. I've learned to be patient with myself and that ultimately the hard work is going to pay off — maybe not when I want it to but in God's timing and it's all going to work out the way it's intended."

Whether its 1,000 meters away, 600 meters away, or 400 meters away, as it was during the season opener in Nebraska, there are going to be hills. And that's the obstacle for Fisher. And she fights like crazy picking up her knees on the incline.

But once at the top, she begins to glide, like she did, sailing toward the finish line, a group of supporters cheering her on, Fisher lightens her furrowed brow, that adrenaline and confidence crackling through her, and she carries the realization, that despite it all, one thing remains certain.

She isn't yet finished.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Cecilia Fisher

Christine Jerono

Grace Meyer

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