Kieran Nay: Palmer Ridge To Western State

Kieran Nay will head into Colorado's high country to Western State next season.

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                                   Kieran Nay's Best Marks

1600 Meters - 4:46.26

3,200 Meters - 9:44.16

5K Cross Country - 16:21

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Q) Talk about the recruitment process - what other schools were you looking at, and how did you come to choosing Western?
The recruitment process was fairly straightforward for me. I knew that I wanted to be in the mountains, and staying in Colorado was pretty big for me as well. I looked at Eastern Washington and Portland State University as well but I was pretty sold on Western on my visit. After spending some time looking out of state I realized that a strong DII program in the mountains was just what I was looking for and settled on Western pretty quickly after that.

Q) What do you plan to study at Western?
Western has a really great High Altitude Physiology Program that I am interested in becoming a part of.

Q) Western has a rich cross country and track and field tradition, talk about being a part of that.
In terms of running, Western's great cross country tradition was definitely a big factor. Coming from a really great team culture at Palmer Ridge I value the idea of a collective goal and I felt that when I ran with the Western squad. My first high school coach Kelly Christensen who really fostered my love for running, also ran at Western so my visit and running up there really felt like a coming home.

Q) You've had a lot of success in the longer distances, do you see yourself focusing on even longer (5k/10k) distances at Western?
I have definitely found more success in the longer distances, the longer the better. I can really see myself developing into a solid cross country runner and definitely sticking to the 5k-10k in track.

Q) Could you share any goals you have for the upcoming track season?
My goals for this track season are to really focus on bringing my in state 3200 time down. More importantly though I am excited to enjoy my last season as a Bear and finish the high school journey with some of the best guys I've ever known.

Q) What would your favorite high school moment be?
My favorite memory from high school would have to be State this year. To come back from an ankle injury that took me out for most of the season, and finish 14th at state for my team and help us win the title in what was a HIGHLY competitive year for 4A  was really special. With the season we had nothing was guaranteed. Hearing the announcement that we had won and just seeing the pure joy and relief in my teammates, it was a great end to a fantastic journey with those guys.