Jessie Kuykendall and John Mangold have been selected by league coaches as the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Runners of the Year for the 2018 season. This is just the second year of the award, which was created to honor the best runner for the entirety of the racing season and the second time Kuykendall has claimed the prize.
Not only is the senior from Warsaw, Missouri, the most decorated runner to compete for Westminster College, but after capturing her third consecutive SLIAC title this past season, she becomes the only runner in conference history to complete the feat of winning the SLIAC Championship three times.
Along with her three conference titles, Kuykendall has added 11 Runner of the Week awards and holds both the 5K and 6K records at Westminster. She set the 6K record of 21 minutes, 59.24 seconds during the SLIAC title race of 2017, while earning the 5K record in her sophomore season at the Missouri Stampede hosted by Missouri Southern University, completing the race in 18:45.48.
Her time as an NCAA Division III athlete at Westminster taught her many valuable skills, she claims. "Being a student-athlete has helped my time here at Westminster because I have learned so many valuable skills. Time management is a big one. I am constantly trying to balance school and work with running, but also trying to enjoy my time here with friends. It can get pretty busy and hectic at times, but I enjoy a busy life. I also learned the value of hard work and determination. If you work hard enough and are determined to succeed, there is nothing that could stop you from reaching your goal."
Along with Kuykendall's athletic success, she is one of the top students at Westminster, majoring in psychology and holding on to a 3.63 grade point average, and is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Last season, the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of America (USTFCCCA) honored her with an individual academic award for her high GPA. She is also a three-time SLIAC All-Academic team honoree.
