Kelley places in Nashville runs
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For the first time in 2023, Cloquet native Kendra Kelley didn't win an individual race last weekend. But, running at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, the North Dakota State University sprinter showed out just the same, with podium finishes in all three races she entered.
She finished third out of 45 entrants in the 60-meter sprint, setting a school record in the process at 7.48 seconds. Arkansas State's Jonae Cook won in 7.38 seconds, followed by Missouri's Alicia Burnett in second at 7.43.
In the race, Kelley seemed late coming out of the starting blocks, but recovered with a blistering sprint. In her two other 60 heats, Kelley ran 7.51 and 7.50, tying the school record she held with two others.
She also finished second in the 200 meters, among 70 entrants, and helped the Bison 4x400 relay to a third-place finish.
Kelley ran her 200 in 24.05 seconds, trailing only Brianna White of North Carolina in 23.96.
Kelley anchored the NDSU relay team as it hit the tape in third place, at 3:43.27, trailing only Vanderbilt (3:36.99) and Iowa (3:40.91), among 23 teams.
Kelley had entered last weekend's competition having not lost an individual 60 or 200 final all season.
She competes next at the UND Tune-Up on Saturday in Grand Forks, North Dakota, followed by the Summit League Indoor Championships in Vermillion, South Dakota on Feb. 24-25.
The NCAA Indoor Championships are March 10-11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Kelley was a state-champion sprinter and standout soccer player for Cloquet. The Pine Knot ran a feature story on her in the Feb. 10 issue.She is competing again after taking off the 2021-22 season to care for her infant son, Brayden.
