Katelyn Rupe repeats cross-country state title for Salina Central

Salina Central cross-country sensation Katelyn Rupe says very little prior to a race. After all, she has a body programmed for greatness and talking isn’t necessary.

“Katelyn doesn’t talk much before a race, and I respect her process,” Central coach Brad Dix said. “She flashed me her trademark smile and gave me a thumbs up.”

Not long after, her radiant smile could be seen all across I-70. And for good reason as Rupe captured her second straight Class 5A state individual cross-country championship at Lawrence’s Rim Rock Farm.

Van Cleave’s Vibes: Chronicling Kansas’ Greats - a series of nearly 150 stories statewide in the past year - continues today with a special young lady whose love for running has no end.

“Being a repeat state champion feels amazing,” she said. “I train hard in the off-season, and during the season, so to see the hard work pay off is gratifying.”

Rupe is the only Central cross-country runner, boy or girl, to win a state title.

“Prior to Katelyn, the highest finish for a Salina Central girl was a 4th place finish in 1975 by Glenda Richter,” Dix said. “Prior to Katelyn, the highest Mustang finish was a 3rd place finish by Robbie Seiler in 1986.”

Katelyn’s recognition isn’t just inside the state borders. She’s currently ranked 26th in the country in cross country.

“It feels amazing to be ranked 26th in the country by Dyestat,” Rupe said.

“I believe that Katelyn’s greatest running is still ahead of her,” Dix said. “The longer races at the next level will only feed into her strength as a runner. As long as she stays healthy, Katelyn has tremendous potential to help a top notch program anywhere in the country, and that program would be blessed to have a student-athlete of her caliber.”

At the recent state cross country meet, the Central junior led nearly the entire race.

“I was basically ahead the whole time, yes. For the first maybe 300 meters I was in second, but then after that I was ahead the whole time,” she said. “I felt my teammate’s and Ryin Miller’s presence behind me for a little under a mile, but then after that I felt alone.”

“I believed she would win the entire time, but it’s cross country and crazy things happen on uneven, hilly courses with the stress of a state championship,” Dix said. “I was convinced when I saw her come out of Chester’s cemetery and reach the Jim Ryun Skyline. That’s when I knew she was going to repeat.”

Running the final 50-75 meters were super cool, the vibrant Rupe said.

“It felt like a ton of people were there, and coming into the finish line, with a bunch of people cheering, knowing I am the 5A state champion was an amazing experience,” she noted. “I also knew that at the finish line, my grandparents had a coat for me, which I wanted very badly because I was cold.”

But she was red-hot in races this year as she won every race she ran.

“I did win every race this year, which is a great accomplishment, but what is even better is that my teammate (freshman) Kaylie Shultz came in second in every 5k race we raced,” she said.

“Katelyn has one of the best work ethics of any runner I've ever coached,” Dix said. “I believe she finds peace in the miles she runs on the road. But her work ethic is not only found in her running; it's found in everything she does as a student-athlete.”

What makes Katelyn a great runner?

“Along with her talent, Katelyn's greatest assets are her work ethic and her love of a challenge,” her coach said. “She sees difficult workouts as a challenge to be attacked rather than something to avoid. She also sees competitive races as a challenge to see what she can do, and she doesn't shrink from that challenge. She gets visibly excited when she knows that she will be in a race.”

Dix added that his standout runner got in front of the pack early at state.

“I think she felt like she needed to push the pace in the first mile to see who was willing to go with her,” Dix stated. “At the mile, she had her teammate, Kaylie Shultz and Ryin Miller from Topeka Seaman within five seconds of her. Katelyn is usually very strong on the hills of Rim Rock, and she separated from them in mile two which is pretty hilly.

“By the two mile mark, Katelyn had opened up a significant lead over Miller. By the time they reached the 4K mark, Katelyn had the race pretty much in hand, and her teammate, Kaylie, had opened up her lead on Miller as well. It was a relief to see them come out of Chester’s cemetery in first and second place.”

She was clocked in 17:36, but not her personal record of 17:05 which she set last month at the Bob Schmoekel Invitational in Junction City.

“Last year I ran 17:13, and this year I ran 17:36. Last year was obviously a much faster time than this year,” she lamented. “It was a disappointing time to run this year at state, since my goal all year has been to run a faster time on a course than I did the year before, which I had accomplished up until my state race.”

Rupe didn’t run cross country as a freshman, because she played tennis. The school policy doesn’t allow freshmen to dual sport, and so she chose tennis over cross country. Then her sophomore year, she did both.

“My sophomore year I won every race I ran, until NXR Heartland (Nike Cross Regionals), which is a race in South Dakota, where you can qualify for NXN (Nike Cross Nationals),” she said. “I placed 13th there. I will also be running at NXR this year, which is on Nov. 12th.”

Her greatness can be seen in track in the spring where she’s nearly unbeatable in the 1600 and 3200 meters.

She’s the two-time defending 5A state champion in the 3200. Rupe finished second in last year’s 5A 1600 meters after winning it in 2022.

“I have only had the privilege of coaching Katelyn in track one year, so it’s a bit more difficult to explain. She was so dominant in the 3200m run last year, that it reminded me of cross country,” Dix said. “The 1600m run is probably more of a challenge for her, but she loves that challenge, and it pushes her to work harder on her speed and turnover. Her greatness in both comes from her love of a challenge.”

Running in college is her plan and she’s currently in the recruiting process and has not yet decided where she will be running.

“Running is important to me because I love it,” Rupe said. “I grew up running with a track club in Salina called Salina Burn. My parents both have run marathons, and my mom even qualified for the Boston Marathon, so they both love running too.”

The love for running was sparked in middle school. A love that’s only grown the past four years.

“When I was in 8th grade my dad and I trained for a half marathon together, and that really is what helped shape my work ethic into what it is today,” she concluded. “It taught me to love the hard work and the success that came as a result of putting in the work. It was the first time that I had run that many miles ever, and I absolutely loved it.”

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Katelyn Rupe repeats cross-country state title for Salina Central