Haley Kroll is a super senior in every sense. She's super. For example, Kroll was the California Collegiate Collegiate Athletic Association's 2017 Impact Award recipient, recognizing a CCAA student-athlete who has exemplified leadership through participation in community service and engagement activities while maintaining dedication to academics and athletics. She's also a sixth-year senior nearing the end of her final semester of athletic eligibility with the Chico State women's cross country team after redshirting way back in 2012-13 and being granted a medical redshirt after missing the 2014-15 season.
There's a rumor circulating that some of her teammates refer to her as grandma Well, grandma beat most of the youngsters to the finish line at Saturday's NCAA Championship West Regional. Kroll put together arguably the best race of her career, finishing 20th in the 209-runner field at Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Oregon, earning her first All-West Region honor and helping propel the Wildcats into the NCAA Championship Finals.
Kroll, our Wildcat of the Week, covered the course in a six-kilometer personal-best time of 21:45.6. The third Chico State athlete across the line, Kroll's finish helped cement the fifth-ranked Wildcats' third-place finish and the automatic berth to the NCAA Championship Finals that came with it.
Kroll will wrap up her collegiate career at the NCAA Championship Finals on Nov. 18 at Angel Mounds in Evansville, Indiana, as the Wildcats chase their third straight podium finish.
