Addi Iken: Littleton To Wyoming

Talk about the recruitment process - what other schools were you looking at, and how did you come to choosing University of Wyoming?

I traveled to four different schools for official visits: University of Wyoming, University of Tulsa, Idaho State University, and Lipscomb University. All of the schools were great to be honest, and selecting one was certainly a tough choice. I ultimately chose Wyoming because when I visited, I felt a really special bond with the coaches and the team. Coach Clower would text me often, just asking how I was doing and how my races were going; she made me feel special before I even committed to Wyoming. The girls on the team treated me amazingly. Several of the girls are Christians, and my host was also a nursing student (which is my desired area of study), so I definitely felt welcomed and connected to them from day one. The other thing I like about Wyoming is that it is not too close to where I live now, but it is not too far away either, so I'll still be able to see my parents and younger siblings every so often.

I plan to go into nursing. Wyoming has an excellent nursing program with some great facilities, so I am very excited to be a part! I'm not exactly sure what type of nursing will be my focus, but I am looking forward to exploring my options.

You've had success in the distance events, primarily cross country and the 3,200- what do you see yourself focusing on at Wyoming?

In running, the longer the better for me! I am definitely going to focus greatly on cross country, and as far as track, I'm hoping to focus more on the 5k and 10k. 25 laps is a lot, but I'm pumped to try it out! I'm not super great at the short, sprint stuff, but I can certainly run for a long time.

You ran in every state cross country championship from freshman to senior year- talk about what you did to improve so much from your freshman year, when you finished 53rd, to your senior year, where you finished third.

It's honestly been a blessing that I've been able to push myself to new PRs and better places each year. Freshman year was the first time I ever ran cross country (my middle school did not have cross country), and it was also the first year I had good, legit training. All of my coaches saw potential in me, which really encouraged me to work harder and strive toward achieving more and more. That hunger for more is what motivated me to get through those tough workouts and days when I would have rather sat on the couch eating cookie dough ice cream. 

Last year was a huge jump for me in terms of track, so I am very excited for what this season will hopefully bring! I am running Arcadia this year, and my main goal is to break 11 minutes for the 3200 there. I would also really love to finish top three for the 3200 and make podium for the 1600 at state.

That is a tough question; there have been so many great moments! One of my absolute favorite moments was my sophomore year during cross country season. I finished 6th at our regional meet, so I was for sure going to state. My freshman year I had qualified alone on the girls' side, and I thought sophomore year might be the same. However, my good friend Magda, a senior at the time, finished in 15th place at regionals and snagged the last state qualifying spot! We were both thrilled! It was so amazing to be able to train the next week side-by-side and both run at state her senior year. I still have a picture of us standing at the start line together, full of nerves and joy, and I'll always remember that to be one of my favorite high school moments.