Athlete of the Week for Nov. 2: Anna Keeley

Senior Anna Keeley sprints to the finish line at Regionals. Keeley came in second with 19:16 at Regionals held at Milford State Park in Juction City, Kansas on October 23.

Senior Anna Keeley sprints to the finish line at Regionals. Keeley came in second with 19:16 at Regionals held at Milford State Park in Juction City, Kansas on October 23.

Greg Woods, Online Editor-in-Chief

Anna Keeley wasn’t on her feet when she finished Saturday’s race.

Instead, she collapsed onto the earth just in front of the finish line. Opponents flew by. Her efforts had earned her an 11th-place finish at the 6A State cross country meet in Lawrence.

A senior, she also helped her team claim its first State championship since 1979.

“It was definitely intimidating knowing how much rested on that one race,” Keeley said. “I just tried to do what I did every other race.”

As for when she felt her legs give way to the strain she had forced them under for the last five kilometers, she said the moment remains vague.

“It was a weird race. I’m not really sure what happened,” Keeley said. “I think I might have gone a little too hard on some of the hills.”

She finishes her short one-year high school cross country career with a State title to her name, and said that the experience was unlike any other.

“It’s been amazing,” Keely said. “I love my team. It’s been a great season. We’ve had so much fun…. I’ve never been on a team like this.”

She is undecided as to whether she will compete at the college level, but said the bond she made on this year’s team was intimate.

“They’re all like my sisters,” Keely said of her teammates. “I love them all.”