Name: Kelly Naumann
High School: Corona Del Sol
Signed With: of Iowa State University
You were recruited by several schools, what made Iowa State stand out to you?
Iowa State has an amazing College of Design there and a strong environmentally conscious atmosphere that drew me in. I want to work with communities on improving sustainability and their program is perfectly geared towards that. One of the biggest things about the team that I liked was that they are more concerned with character than simply fast PRs. The girls are all humble, inviting and down to earth, which is exactly what I am looking for. Also, the campus is beautiful, it is one of the greenest campuses in the country and has an amazing distance program, coming in 2nd at nationals this year for cross country!
You recently set the school record in the 3200m, but have historically specialized in the shorter distance races, which race distance is your favorite?
I ran the 800m exclusively for my freshman and sophomore year of high school because I loved the race so much and only decided to do cross country to improve in the 800m. Then before my junior year, I started to get really serious about running in college and had a break out cross country season that I wasn't expecting. That carried over to track for the mile but I didn't run the 3200 until this year. Last year was a kind of transition year for me. Now I know that distance is definitely what I was built for, and I love it so much! I haven't decided which is my favorite, the mile or the 3200 yet but hopefully I will know by the end of the season. Right now I have some good goals for both, so my heart is split.
What event are you planning on specializing in college?
I am not sure what event I will be doing in college yet, but I will definitely be a distance oriented runner. I would really like to try out the steeplechase because I was a hurdler in middle school and think it would be fun to combine the two, but I trust that Coach McDonough will know the best place for me. I am just looking forward to cross country. Cross country is the best test of mental strength out there, and I love the person I am while training for it.
What has been one of your favorite high school memories?
My favorite high school memory has to be going to Arcadia my sophomore year. I got to go with my 4x800 team and experience an elite invitational for the first time. We broke the school record there and I fell in love with running that day. After that, I set real goals for myself and decided that I would truly dedicate to running.
What are your career aspirations and how will Iowa State get you there?
I want to work in the environmental field, as I said before and Iowa State has a program that will provide me with job opportunities after graduation. Joe Johnston is a phenomenal man that I look up to, who created a neighborhood in Gilbert that incorporates organic farming and opportunities for entrepreneurship, all while covering all the bases for sustainability. It has been nationally recognized several times and I have spent time with Joe learning all about it. Its incredible, I have never seen anything like it and I want to create sustainable neighborhoods like that in other parts of the country. It gets me excited just thinking about it. I also find Earthships fascinating and am interested to see if they can be integrated into existing communities in the future. Iowa State is the school that will lead me there.
Want to see the rest of this years recruiting class? Check out all the college signings right here.