The only sports story I’ve ever written…

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(December 2, 2009)

COLUMBIA — Stephens College cross-country coach Dane Pavlovich worried as he watched his top runner’s first mile at the American Midwest Conference Championships in St. Louis’ Forest Park. Gracie Boelsems, a freshman basketball recruit who had never run cross-country in her life, was competing for one of five nationals spots that the AMC allots for runners not part of the conference champion team.

Boelsems clocked in at a 5:59.00 mile pace, a fast time that secured her third place. But the time was also 16 seconds faster than she typically runs her first mile. Pavlovich was concerned that she has gone out faster than she could maintain. His gut told him his top runner might be in trouble.

Boelsems, a California native, ran recreationally throughout high school, but never planned on cross-country until a casual e-mail inviting Stephens students to try running caught her eye. Boelsems figured the team would keep her active and in shape her basketball season. But it was immediately clear to her teammates and coach that she was fast.

“She came to me and said she wanted to give it a try which is funny because from the first practice it was evident that she would be our top runner,” Pavlovich said.

“She hadn’t run before so I didn’t know if she would be fast,” said Kelsi Simpson, a teammate of Boelsems who is running on scholarship for Stephens. In the season’s first meet, the Maryville Cross Country Classic, Boelsems got 11th overall against competitors from Washington University, one of the top Division III running programs in the country. By October, Boelsems had consistently scored enough that Pavlovich believed the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Washington was obtainable. 

“It was a big surprise. My coach sat me down and said, ‘Gracie you don’t realize this but you’ve put yourself in a position to go to nationals,’” Boelsems said. The opportunity depended on her conference meet results.

By the second mile of conferences, Boelsems began to pay for her speedy start. She slipped to fifth place and began to slow. Her stride shortened and became choppier. A William Woods University competitor gained ground with every second that passed. At one point her competitor was so close that Boelsems could heard her breathing.

But coming up on the course were the hills.

Her junior and senior year in high school Boelsems would get up before school, throw on the running gear she had laid out the night before and slip out the door to run. She’d run three to four mile loops that led through Huntington Beach marshlands, showcased great white herons and scenic paths and led to local hotspots such as Seal Beach and Sunset Beach. She ran simply because she enjoyed the exercise, wanted to maintain a healthier lifestyle and needed to get faster for basketball. In the summers, after working as a lifeguard, Boelsems ran on the soft sand. Pavlovich attributes beach running to her shorter, choppier stride. But beach running also provided her with a unique base that she used to excel on hills.

Boelsems used that base during the hilly part of the course to put some distance between herself and her competitor. There was 600 meters to go. Boelsems exploded down the hill and rushed toward the finish line at a strong pace. “200 meters to Washington,” thought Pavlovich. Boelsems heard her coach scream, “Kick it in.” She pushed past her competitor on the last leg and aimed for the finish line.

It’s “lonely” being a two-sport athlete, Boelsems said. She is constantly tired. Her body aches. She doesn’t see a lot of people. Megan Brown, a freshman teammate of Boelsems’, said that Gracie was fascinated by the personal free time of her teammates this season. Between classes, two sports practices and homework, Boelsems didn’t have a lot of down time to relax with friends.

Pavlovich also recognized the physical and mental strain playing two sports can put on a student athlete. A couple of times Boelsems hit a wall in her training, he said. Athlete and coach discussed how to predict these occurrences so they could lay off the work during those times. Already, Boelsems does not run at basketball practice.

“It’s a very careful balance,” Pavlovich said.

But according to both Pavlovich and Boelsems, the conference race was a healthy day for the latter. The surge she gathered after the hills propelled her to a 10th place finish. Because she was the fifth runner not part of the AMC champion team, Park University, she earned the last national spot. Despite her excitement, Boelsems was more concerned about cheering her teammates on after her race. This wasn’t unusual. According to Brown, Boelsems is always an encourager, always positive and always humble. She also occasionally provides moments of comic relief for her team.

Boelsems never experienced autumn before coming to Missouri and was fascinated by the changing colors of the leaves on the MKT trail. One rainy day when the team stopped running, Boelsems walked to the side of the trail next to a tree, threw up her arms and stared at the colorful canopy. She was caught up in what Brown called a “charming innocence,” and taken by the leaves and their colors. 

“If you are ever feeling down just go underneath a tree and look up,” Boelsems told her teammates, much to their amusement. Boelsems’ optimism towards simple things like changing leaves carries over to her training. After placing 286th out of 330 runners at the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 21, Boelsems is already excited for next season.

“I think I’m always going to want to run,” Boelsems said.

When school picks up after Thanksgiving break, there will be no down time for the athlete. Already, she is training as a forward on the basketball team and Pavlovich, who is also the Stephens basketball coach and associate athletic director, expects that she will be brought off the bench often to gain valuable playing time for a freshman. Between cross-country and basketball, he sees Boelsems every day. But her determination and drive make every interaction valuable to him as a coach.

“I’m lucky because I get to be around her from August to March,” Pavlovich said, “hopefully, for the next three years.”