Former WHS runner to compete for DII program

WASILLA — As a sophomore at Wasilla High School, Keri Clump really started to see her potential as a runner. She continually improved, made a place for herself on Wasilla’s varsity cross country and track squads began running toward the opportunity to compete at the college level.

During her junior year, Clump was hit with a bout of mononucleosis. Instead of working to improving her times, Clump spent most of her time simply trying to get healthy.

But this spring, Clump was back on track and has worked her way into a college running program. Clump, who recently graduated as part of Wasilla’s class of 2010, signed a National Letter of Intent to compete at Montana State-Billings.

“(Mono) killed her junior year,” Wasilla cross country running and track coach Gary Howell said recently. “It says a lot for her to come back.”

Clump will compete in both cross country and track for the Yellowjackets, a Division II program in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Clump said athletics and academics both played a role in her decision to attend Montanta-State Billings.

“I decided since they have a good education program and I could get money to run, then why not do something I love,” said Clump, who will study education with the goal of becoming a guidance counselor in the future.

Clump said she prefers track over cross country and the 800-meter is her favorite event. In a press release issued by the school, Montana State head coach Dave Coppock noted Clump’s ability to compete in a variety of distances will help her be an asset t the Yellowjackets.

“Keri is a versatile athlete who can run a wide range of events,” Coppock said in the release. “She can run anything from the 400 meters in track to the 5,000 meters in cross country. She’ll be a great asset to our team and I’m looking forward to working with her.”

Based on the times Clump clocked as a senior, Howell said she should be able to compete for the Yellowjackets right away.

“She should fit in right away and score some points,” Howell said.

Clump competed regularly in the 400, 800, 1,600 relay and 3,200 relay as a senior. She qualified for the 2010 ASAA/First National Bank State Track and Field Championships in the 800 and 3,200 relay, and posted personal bests in each during the state meet.

In the 800, Clump clocked a time of 2 minutes, 25.31 seconds, more than four seconds fast than her previous best. She also helped her 3,200 relay squad break the 10-minute mark for the first time during the season. Clump and three teammates finished with a time of 9:54.63, a full 14 seconds faster than the time they posted during the Northern Lights Conference Championships the week before.

Clump said she also considered Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., but preferred MSUB. She also briefly considered UAA, but wanted to attend a school outside of Alaska.

As she tried to recover from the case of mono during her junior year, Clump competed in just one track event – the 3,200-meter relay. Howell said it was difficult for Clump to recover from the illness, but offseason training helped her come back and record a number of personal best times as a senior.

“She definitely took her training seriously,” Howell said.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.