Chico State Athletics

The 2021–22 season marks Kelli’s second year in the Wildcats’ program.
 
Pre-Chico Days
Four-year letter winner in both cross country and track at Elk Grove High School…Helped lead the Thundering Herd to a Delta League cross country championship and conclude the season as a finalist at the Sac-Joaquin section championship…Raced to an impressive 19:18 5k at the Clovis Invitational during her freshman cross country season…As a sophomore, recorded an 18:46 5k PR at the Pacific Tiger Invitational…Notched a top 10 finish at the Lodi Flame Invitational as a senior…On the track, focused primarily on the 800m event where she finished third in her league championship in 2018…Posted a 2:19 PR in the same season…Earned All-DL honors…Part of the school’s record-setting distance medley relay team.
 
Personal
Born October 18, 2001, in Elk Grove…Daughter of Mark and Katie…Has one older sister, Grace…Her dad is her hero (“He has taught me how to be a hardworking, passionate, and strong girl”)…The personal she most admires in the sports world is champion steeplechase runner Emma Coburn (“She has taught me a lot being a female runner”)…Favorite course at Chico State is Academic Writing, taught by Athena Murphy…Chose to attend Chico State “because it is only two hours away from my family, and I wanted to run for a good school”…Her greatest sports moment was running her fastest 800m race in front of all her family and friends at her high school…The most interesting thing she’s ever done is ride ostriches in South Africa…The most impressive thing she’s ever accomplished is teach herself how to ride a unicycle…Has learned by running cross country to “keep working to be the best even if it gets difficult”…Enjoys being surrounded by people when she has some free time…Says outside of running, her biggest talent is being able to recite all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 10 seconds…Admits to sleepwalking every night…At the top of her bucket list: “Go to every state in the U.S.”…Best advice ever received came from her high school coach Tomas Rossow: “just ‘run happy’”…Majoring in criminal justice…Plans to join the police academy.
 
Personal Best Marks
800m: 2:19
1,600m: 5:18
5k XC: 18:46