Central Michigan University Athletics
A Place in History
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Jared Porter, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Abbey Kelto has done what only one other runner in Central Michigan women's cross country history has.
But she would be the last person to boast.
Kelto will run in the NCAA Championships on Saturday after a 16th-place finish in the regional last weekend in Wisconsin. She and Suzy Somers (1989) are the only women in school history accomplish the feat.
The championships are scheduled for the Lavern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., and they are hosted by Indiana State.
"I was excited but it was kind of surreal to me," Kelto said. "It was not anything I predicted or I thought would happen. I was shocked but really excited about it.
"I was shocked because I somewhat exceeded my expectations. Qualifying for the NCAA Championships wasn't a specific goal of mine. I try to set attainable goals for myself and I didn't think that goal was realistic."
Despite the noise she generates through her performance in competition, Kelto has been a "quiet leader" since she transferred from Michigan State in 2013, coach Matt Kaczor said.
"(Kelto) is soft-spoken and keeps to herself," he said. "But she is undoubtedly a leader by example. She is one of the hardest workers on the team, and we're starting to see the hard work she put in over the summer pay off.
"In the time that she has been (at CMU), Abbey has trimmed off two minutes from her 6K mark. That has allowed her to compete at the NCAA Championships. It gives the other ladies something to shoot for because they see that it's attainable and they watched a teammate do it first-hand."
Kelto says she attributes much of her success to her decision to transfer to CMU two years ago, as well as her motivation to end her athletic career with a bang.
"I felt like I wasn't getting enough attention at Michigan State, and it was the right move for me to come to a smaller school like Central," Kelto said. "The transition was easy for me because I found that the team (at CMU) was a lot closer. I was able to get more one-on-one time with my coaches and develop into a better runner.
"Knowing this was my senior year, my last year, I wanted to work hard over the summer. I trained harder than ever before and my body responded well to it. Just from that, I've learned that the more I do, the better the results."
Transferring from MSU to a smaller university in CMU made sense to Kelto, who grew up in Munising, a small, tight-knit community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
"Everybody knows everybody (in Munising)," Kelto said. "I graduated in a class of about 60 people, so it was a huge change for me when I moved to Lansing to go to Michigan State. There were a lot of people and it just wasn't the type of place I was used to. But coming to Central has made things more familiar to me. The closeness of the team reminded me of being home. I wish I would have transferred sooner."
Kelto ran cross country and played volleyball at Munising High School, and says her cross country coach Fran Desarmo along with her parents were huge mentors in her athletic career.
"(Desarmo) really pushed me in high school," Kelto said. "He made me realize the potential I had to run distance at the collegiate level. He helped me tap into my potential and always believed in me.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to repay my mom and dad for what they have done for me. None of this would have been possible without them, so I try to make them proud in everything I do."
Desarmo says Kelto deserves every bit of success that she is experiencing and that she left a legacy at Munising High.
"(Kelto) is everything you want an athlete to be," Desarmo said. "She's humble, hard-working, dedicated and so much more. She's the type of person that doesn't cut corners and earns everything. And if she doesn't earn it, she won't take the credit. Come to think of it, she hardly takes the credit for anything she accomplishes. That just shows the type of unselfish person she is.
"Before (Kelto) ran cross country, I had trouble getting enough girls to join the team. But now we get a full team every year, and Abbey has a lot to do with that."
Kelto was named the U.P. Cross Country Runner of the Year in both 2008 and '09 and was a three-time U.P. state champion. She is one of just 25 runners in state history to have won at least three individual state titles in girls cross country.
"She developed a following," Desarmo said. "People know her name around here. And in the last few weeks, some of the girls have asked me to take them to watch Abbey compete. So she certainly left her legacy in her hometown."
Backed by the support of her hometown and the CMU community, Kelto is set to compete for the final time of her collegiate career on the biggest stage of them all.
She said she is maintaining realistic expectations for the NCAA Championships, which makes sense knowing her humble demeanor. But she has surprised herself before, so there's no reason to believe she can't exceed her expectations one more time.
"I haven't really talked to my coaches about expectations for Saturday," Kelto said. "I'm going to do the best I can, but I have to be reasonable with myself about what happens. Either way, this has been an unforgettable experience. I couldn't be more thankful for my family, friends and coaches pushing me to get to this point."
Players Mentioned
