|
Kramon Shining in New Pursuit
by John Dugan, Marin Independent Journal
September 19, 2006
PLAYING SOCCER for 15 years and then dominating cross country is a lot
like playing basketball for a lifetime and then becoming a world-class
high jumper overnight. The two endeavors may lend themselves to one another,
but they don't exactly draw from the same talent pool.
Considering that Meredith Kramon just about fell into cross country excellence,
people might start seeing soccer and cross country as a little more compatible
than they thought.
Kramon, a Branson School grad who attended the University of Miami in
Florida on a soccer scholarship for a year, was named the Big West Conference
athlete of the week as a member of the Long Beach State cross country
team. Kramon finished eighth among women at the Aztec Invitational in
San Diego with a personal-best 5-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 1 second.
"We had Arkansas, the No. 8-ranked team in the country, running with
us, so I just tried to run with them," Kramon said. "I felt
good about where I finished. It was a great race."
Kramon had to feel even better, knowing where she came from. She went
to Miami to play soccer for the Hurricanes, a big-time NCAA Division I
program, but was unhappy and left after one year. She transferred to Long
Beach State, but longed for the competitive atmosphere that soccer provided
her.
Enter cross country coach Andy Sythe.
"Most programs recruit out of high school and get experienced runners,"
Kramon said. "I was lucky to find a coach who was interested in me,
even though I had never run cross country before."
Sythe's gamble paid off.
Kramon was named to the all-conference team last season and is off to
a hot start this year for the 49ers, whose women's team was picked to
finish third in the conference. Kramon has her sights set much higher
than third place.
"Our goal is to qualify for NCAAs as a team," Kramon said. "Obviously,
we'd love for the whole team to make it. But at the least, I want to make
it individually."
Making it to the national championships as a runner would be a big shift
from where Kramon was when she began running, just three years ago.
"My first race, I had the NCAA champ next to me," Kramon said.
"I barely knew what a cross country race was. I thought I'd get lost.
The other runners said, 'Just follow all the people and you'll be fine.'"
Kramon has been more than fine. Her 18:01 at the Aztec Invitational bested
her 5K personal best by 18 seconds, and she has a chance to break 21 minutes
in the 6K this season, when her personal best until now was 21:17. And
she's loving cross country more than she ever thought she would.
"I feel like this is 100 percent better for me (than soccer),"
Kramon said. "This is the sport for me. This is the sport I love
now."
That's not to say she wouldn't strap on the shin guards and hit the pitch
in a heartbeat, if she could.
"I'm not allowed to play soccer," Kramon said. "I can't
get hurt. I'd love to play, but if I got hurt I would be in a lot of trouble."
It's probably for the best, anyway - everyone knows soccer and cross country
don't mix.
|
