Shank Leaving Her Mark in MIAA History

By David Boyce

As an eighth grader Kimi Shank felt comfortable running the mile in track. Attacking a 3-mile cross country course in high school caused her a moment of pause.

She talked with her parents. Her parents talked to the cross country coach. The coach talked to Shank. Still, Shank wasn't certain she was made to run that distance.

"At the time I was a little scared," Shank said.

"They made me run my freshman year. I'm really glad they did now."

All Shank has done since beginning her cross country career eight years ago at Rolla High School in Missouri is become one of the most decorated runners Missouri Southern has ever seen.

She is winding up her career with a bang. Shank recently earned her third MIAA women's cross country runner of the week after finishing second Saturday at the GVLC/MIAA challenge.

It was the last meet before the MIAA Championships on Oct. 24^th in Emporia. Shank is the defending champion.

Sure, Shank feels some pressure to repeat.

"Yes, a little bit," she said.

"It is really competitive this year, which is a good thing because it makes the MIAA look better. I'm hoping I can repeat. I know everybody else is working hard. It would be really awesome if I could."

In so many ways cross country seems like a lonely individual sport. It takes plenty of self-motivation to put in the miles during the summer on your own.

And even when practice starts and you are training with teammates, you are still left with your thoughts as you jog five to 10 miles a day.

But Shank doesn't view the sport that way, and that's a reason she and the Missouri Southern cross country team have had so much success in her four years. The Lions are going for their fourth straight MIAA title.

"I know it seems like an individual sport, but I really like the team atmosphere because as soon as I cross the line or my teammates cross the line we are looking back and saying, ‘where is so and so'" Shank said. "We will go cheer them on. It is really helpful and the crowd gets into it."

That was certainly the case on Saturday. Soon after Shank finished second, freshman Ashley Siler was four seconds behind in third.

The Lions simply owned the top 10. Senior Ashley Bunch took fifth, followed by junior Courtney Waltbillig in sixth, freshman Marlee Tegenkamp in seventh and senior Silvia Pineda in eighth.

Missouri Southern coach Patty Vavra credits her seniors for the success the team has achieved in the last four years.

"They are a group of young ladies, with Kimi being the exception, who were good high school athletes, but they have really become great collegians," Vavra said.

"It's a tribute to their hard work. I think they all decided together they wanted to make some big things happen in their career. It would really mean a lot to them to win that conference championship all four years they have been here.

"They have brought our program to a whole new direction."

Shank, who once wondered if she could handle a 3-mile race, has been the driving force behind the Lions' success.

"She just brings such great amount of intensity to our team and at the same time she has a great work ethic," Vavra said. "She has always been able to pound out the miles in the summer. She is very competitive. She is very self-motivated and definitely has a passion for the sport, and she has brought that to the rest of the team as well."

The Lions will once again need that dedication to win another MIAA title. Missouri Southern's fall break occurs during part of the two weeks between their last meet and the MIAA Championships.

Shank isn't concerned about the team not putting in the training when they are away from school.

"We will pretty much try to stay in our routine as much as possible," she said. "Our fall break happens to fall on this upcoming Monday and Tuesday, so we might not be together. We still have our workout plans. We are going to call each other and keep each other up to date."

The Lions are clearly a self-motivated group. They wouldn't be in the position they are in now without putting in the miles during in the summer, and that can sometimes be tough.

Day after day they are running 55 to 60 miles per week alone in 90-degree heat to build a base for a seven-meet season, and that's counting the NCAA Division II national meet.

"During the summer it gets a little boring because it is the same thing every day," Shank said. "We are just building our base and it is just pure mileage. Once school starts you get to be with your friends and they throw in workouts and that breaks up the monotonous part of it."

Vavra can tell her runners are putting in the miles in the summer when they show up for practice for the fall season.

If they weren't they would not be in position to win conference titles.

"I don't think there is any way you can compete if you don't because we always say there is someone out there who is," Vavra said. "That base mileage you get during the summer takes you through the whole year. It's an integral part of the cross country season."

But even with all the training, the last few 100 meters to the finish line can be extremely grueling.

"That's one of the most mentally challenging parts, but thankfully that's where most of the crowd is at so it kind of gets you pumped up," Shank said. "You start thinking, ‘I can do this, I can do this.'"

Shank's parents and high school coach always knew she could.

To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.