Former Comet standout Kiki Connell continues to excel as a student-athlete with Cyclones

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

If Kiki Connell were a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero, she might give “Dr. Strange” a spirited run for stewardship of his Infinity Stone — the one that bends time and space to the will of the worthy possessor.

Connell sure is building a promising resume when it comes administrating mastery over time with or without the said stone. She continues to reset personal-records in cross country and track at the collegiate level while making best use of the “off track” time allotted for her other personal and collegiate endeavors.

For instance, try acing an upperclassman-level physics exam at 8 p.m. the night before leaving for Charlottesville, Virginia for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships as a member of the Iowa State women’s team.

For the 2021 Charles City graduate and current Cyclone junior, it was a first-time opportunity to compete in a Division One national championship.

Connell had helped pave the way to nationals for the Cyclones when she ran what was then a personal-record 6K time of 21 minutes, 23.6 seconds at the NCAA XC Midwest Regional held Nov. 10 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Cyclones advanced to nationals as a team while placing runner-up in OK.

Connell’s effort at the regionals bested a previous PR she set in 2021 earning All-Missouri Valley Conference Championships honors while a member of the University of Northern Iowa XC team, and was good enough for 16th place — one place shy of attaining All-Regional Top 16 status.

Trekking up and down an extremely hilly course in Charlottesville on Nov. 18, Connell shaved more time from her 6K PR (21:09.5) while helping the Cyclones place 20th.

Connell was a four-year state qualifier and three-time state medalist in XC for the Comets after taking sixth, eighth and fourth, respectively her freshman, junior and senior years at state.

During a state-qualifier meet her senior year, Connell became Charles City’s first female XC runner to record a sub-18 minute 5K (17:57) which remains a school record.

Connell also was a multiple-event state qualifier and medalist in track and field during her career at Charles City. She capped her senior year at state with a second-place medal in the 3,000, third-place medal in the 1,500, a fourth-place medal in the 800, and a fifth-place medal in the sprint medley relay where she was the Comets’ anchor leg.

Like in XC, Connell has continued to excel in T&F at the collegiate level. Last spring, Connell placed fifth in the 3,000 steeplechase at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

When it comes to maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and Academic All-American status while being a two-sport D1 athlete, Connell apparently knows the drill.

“I am extremely intrinsically motivated when it comes to both athletics and academics,” Connell said,” but our team has learned to push one another in every walk of life, not just on the course or on the track.

“My coach (Amy Rudolph) makes it her goal to make us better humans … more than just better runners.”

Connell admits that “running 70 miles a week is not an easy task”, but …

“When I have the opportunity to do all of them while laughing, talking and focusing in with my best friends, it makes it so much easier,” she said.

Connell has apparently “found her tribe” with the Cyclones.

“The second that I stepped foot on (ISU’s) campus, I knew I was at home both academically and athletically,” said Connell, who transferred to ISU after attaining All-MVC XC status with the Panthers her freshman year. “The group of girls who I am in contact with daily and whom I call my best friends are teammates are going to change the world. They are the most amazing people I have ever met.

“To be able to wear the same uniform as so many of my role models … these years (at ISU) have definitely been a gift from God and I give Him all the glory for the amazing things that I have been able to experience. Whether that be traveling all over the United States, making memories with my best friends, or taking classes from one of the best institutions in the United States.”