Big Sky Conference

Schmitz chasing one more outdoor race at NCAA West Regional

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Kaylee Schmitz is not ready to be finished.

The Montana State senior ran the top qualifying time in the 800 meters at the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field championships in Greeley, Colorado earlier this month. But in the finals, she couldn’t put together a similar race, posting a time nearly five seconds slower than her preliminary mark and placing sixth. MSU junior Christie Schiel, repeated as the women’s outdoor 800-meter champion.

More than a week later, Schmitz, a O’Fallon, Illinois native who still has one year of indoor eligibility remaining, learned she in fact will have at least one more outdoor race. Her prelim time of 2:08.67 served as the top time in the Big Sky this season and broke Marty Billingsley’s school record of 2:09.51 ran in 1983. The time ranked 53rd in the NCAA West Region. Following several withdrawals from the race, Schmitz moved into the top 48 in the West and will compete in the NCAA West Regional Track & Field Championships in Lawrence, Kansas later this week.

Montana State distance runner Kaylee Schmitz is the MSU school record holder in the 800 indoors and outdoors/by MSU Athletics in 2015

Montana State distance runner Kaylee Schmitz is the MSU school record holder in the 800 indoors and outdoors/by MSU Athletics in 2015

“It was good to learn that all this work was paying off finally,” said Schmitz, the Big Sky champion in the 800 at the indoor championships in Bozeman in February. “I haven’t made it to regionals before so I’m really excited since this is my last season that I’m not done yet. Even going into conference, I went in with the attitude that I’m not done running after this week. I hope to carry that over again.”

The preliminary heats of the women’s 800 will begin at 8:10 p.m. on Thursday. Schmitz is in the first heat along with Oklahoma State sophomore Abbie Hetherington, Washington senior Baylee Mires, Sam Houston State sophomore Camry Grigsby, Stanford senior Claudia Saunders, SMU junior Holly Archer, UCLA freshman Julia Rizk and Cal freshman Rebecca Croft. Schmitz’s qualifying time of 2:08.00 (altitude adjusted) is ahead of only Archer’s qualifying time of 2:08.15. Saunders (2:03.72) and Mires (2:03.91) have the only times under 2:06 in the heat.

“I know I have to be in the top three in my heat so the goal is just to go in and run smart,” Schmitz said. “A good time will result if I just go out there with the pack. There will be a lot of girls who are running really good times, so I want to get out there, get in a good position and stay in second the whole race so when I come down the final straight away, I know I can move on to the next day.”

The top three runners in each heat advance to Friday night’s final. A berth in the finals means one of 12 spots from the West Region will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 8.

“Races like this are all about strategy,” Schmitz said. “The crew in my heat has all run similar times. We are going to go out and try to get into a good position to get into second or third in that pack. It’s really all about tactic right now.

“I’m done well all season running out in front right from the get go. But it’s going to be a big pack, a huge race. Following the leader, because if no one wants to go out that hard, we might not go out that fast. If I let someone else take the lead and stick right on their hip, I know I’m good at finishing. I think that’s the best strategy to get me in the right spot when we come down the straightaway.”

Schmitz has steadily ascended during her Montana State career. As a sophomore in in 2014, she won four different 800s and placed second at the indoor championships. She earned eighth at the outdoor championships that spring. Last winter, she again placed second at the indoor championships and her season-best outdoor time of 2:11.15 was the sixth-fastest in school history.

During the indoor season this year, Schmitz won six separate races, including out-legging a pair of Weber State standouts to earn her first conference title. Her indoor best time of 2:08.44 broke Christine Otte’s school record of 2:08.50 set in 1998.

By all accounts, Schmitz is the most accomplished 800 runner in MSU women’s track history. She holds the school record both indoor and outdoor and is well into double digits for victories in her career. She is hopeful that Thursday is not her last race.

“Optimistic just thinking about this isn’t the end, taking it one day at a time, planning and running like I am going to keep running for the next couple of weeks is my goal,” Schmitz said. “I’m nervous, which is a good thing. It helps you not be overconfident when you are going into the race. I think that helps a lot. I’m ready to go.” 

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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