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Iowa State University Athletics
Kemmey Keeps Surprising For Cyclones
06.04.2008 | Cross Country, Track and Field
AMES, Iowa- When Iowa State distance runner Grace Kemmey transferred to ISU from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif. to run cross country and track, head coach Corey Ihmels knew he was acquiring a good runner. What he got was a cross country All-American, a Big 12 5,000-meter runner-up and an NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier in the 10,000-meters. Kemmey will compete in the event on Thursday at the NCAA Meet in Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
“We thought Grace had a lot of potential and was going to be in our top three or four runners,” Ihmels said. “But to do what she did in the fall at the NCAA Cross Country Championships was tremendous. We knew that she was going to come in and be an impact runner for us in cross country. I didn't expect her to have the impact she did. If you ask her, she really loves cross country, and she gets excited for that, and that enabled her to come in and have a good experience right away.”
Ihmels received a little help from his former athlete, NCAA runner-up in the mile run David Rotich, in enticing Kemmey to campus.
“Grace is dating David Rotich and they wanted to be closer together,” Ihmels said. “Grace was at another school and wanted to transfer, so that is how we came upon her.”
Kemmey's performances at Vanguard showed her ability on the track. The Eldoret, Kenya native earned NAIA All-America honors twice in cross country and three more times in track, but she did not know how that would translate to the Big 12.
“I knew coming here it was going to be tough,” Kemmey said. “With it being a D-I school I knew I had to run pretty hard to keep up with everybody. At Vanguard (Calif.), I used to be the fastest on the team, and it was not that big of a deal, even if I did not train well while I was out there. But coming here I knew I had to make a commitment and dedicate myself.”
The recent transfer made her presence known immediately on the cross country course. Kemmey was the second Cyclone runner to cross the finish line, behind teammate Lisa Koll, in every race. Kemmey placed third overall at the Roy Griak Invitational, her first Division 1 meet. She followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional and then placed 22nd at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American status.
The performance at the conference meet in Lubbock, Texas on Oct. 26 garnered Kemmey Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, making her the first ISU women's cross country runner to win the award.
“I did not expect to win Big 12 Newcomer of the Year,” Kemmey said. “I was surprised. I thought ?now I fit in here, and I can do better than what I've done before.'”
With cross country finished, the coaches assured Kemmey she could be a force heading into track and field.
“I think Grace was a little clueless coming in, on how good she could be,” Ihmels said. “My wife, Michelle [Ihmels], had a conversation with Grace after the cross country national meet and told her that she was probably going to run mid-16 minutes for the 5k and under 34 minutes for the 10k, and Grace thought we were nuts. We had to explain to her ?you just beat pretty much all of the top kids in cross country, you will be able to step on the track and do some great things.' I think it has taken a little bit of time for her to realize that, but I think she is starting to see what she is capable of.”
Kemmey affirmed her coaches' foresight, clocking a 16:42.40 in the 5,000-meter run, finishing second, at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lincoln, Neb. on Feb. 29. Two days later, she came back and placed in the top eight again, earning seventh in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:42.85.
The junior's outdoor track campaign was even more impressive. Kemmey again made good on the coaches' prediction, running under 34 minutes in the 10,000-meters at the Stanford Invitational, clocking a 33:59.60 time to assure a trip to the NCAA Championships on June 11-14 in Des Moines. She continued to run well at the Drake Relays, where she battled windy conditions to place fourth. Kemmey added 11 points to the Cyclones' score at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Boulder, Colo. on May 16 and 18, finishing third and fourth in the 10,000-meters and 5,000-meters respectively.
“She is still figuring out what she is capable of,” Ihmels said. “Every race she has run this year, we have been kind of limited with Lisa [Koll] and Grace as to what races they have run. I think she really has yet to hit one on all cylinders, and I think a couple of weeks at the national meet is where we can put a lot of things together and have a great race.”
Kemmey will look to put an exclamation point on her opening year at Iowa State at the national meet, where she will run in the 10,000-meter run on June 12. To earn All-America honors, she will have to place in the top eight overall.
“I am going to try and be an All-American,” Kemmey said. “I've got to work with the girls and try and stick with them.”
Along with Kemmey's expectations, Ihmels also anticipates a strong performance out of the newcomer.
“I think Grace can be in the mix for top five,” Ihmels said. “That is what we set out for at the beginning of the year. The one thing about Grace is she is going to give it everything she has. I am not going to worry when she steps to the line in Des Moines, because she will do what she is capable of doing, and usually that is a positive event.”
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