Republic’s Kayla Bartelsmeyer has signed a letter of intent to run track and cross country at Missouri Southern State University. Bartelsmeyer will be competing in three seasons — cross-country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. She says she’ll take a lot of lessons from her experience as a runner and a basketball player at Republic.
“I’ve learned how to perform in tight situations. Playing in the (basketball) state championships really prepared me to get the nerves out before a competition, whether it’s a race or a game,” she says.
“Kayla’s a very positive person,” says Tori Mooneyham, who’s coached Bartelsmeyer in both track and basketball. “She’s always been a part of a winning team and a winning program. She’s been part of that in basketball and I think that carries over to track and cross country, because that’s what she knows, is to win. With her positive behavior, you can’t go wrong with having both of those on your side.”
Bartelsmeyer will be leaving one winning program for another, and she says that played a part in her decision to attend Missouri Southern.
“They have a winning program down there,” she says. “And when I went down there, they were the nicest people ever. The team, as a whole when I met them, were some of the coolest people I’ve ever met.”
Cross-country coach Christie Bishop says she tried to get Bartelsmeyer to run cross-country for years — since coaching her in track in junior high — and finally got her on the team as a senior. The year included an eventful run at Missouri Southern’s annual Stampede.
“It rained five inches the night before,” says Bishop. “We were running through water literally to our knees. She actually improved her time, even despite the conditions, by a minute or a minute and a half. It was phenomenal.”
What’s Bartelsmeyer looking forward to the most at the next level?
“I’m looking forward to a big competition and the chance to keep PR’ing (personal record) and getting better at everything I do,” she says.