Palmer grad caps cross-country career with top-5 finish at Division III National Championships

PALMER — Last year, on the heels of a 19^th-place finish in the national meet, Wylie Mangelsdorf really started to think about a piece of advice a coach had for him.

Mangelsdorf was told, always set your goals high, even if they may be a bit high to achieve. Never settle for something less. Mangelsdorf, a Palmer High School graduate and standout cross-country runner at Principia College in Elsa, Ill., took the advice to heart, and he set a pair of goals.

Mangelsdorf put a target on a top-5 finish in the national meet and a time under 24 minutes and 30 seconds in a collegiate 8-kilomter race.

He set his goals high, but was able to accomplish both.

Last Saturday, Mangelsdorf, a Principia senior, capped a phenomenal college cross-country running career with a fifth-place finish during the Division III National Championships in Hanover, Ind.

“I knew if I set (goals) that would be something of a challenge, even if I wasn’t 100 percent certain I’d be able to reach it, it would still make me work hard every day,” Mangelsdorf said by cellphone Monday afternoon.

Mangelsdorf said it was the 19^th-place finish in nationals, coupled with his coach’s advice, that led him to set his own lofty goals.

“A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have even thought about that,” said Mangelsdorf, who also earned Division III All-American honors for the second straight season. “Last year I started thinking about new goals.”

His finish at the national championships capped a tremendous month of November for Mangelsdorf. Nov. 2, Mangelsdorf won the men’s 8-K during the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships. He posted a career-low 24:30 in the race, led Principia to a conference team title and was named the conference’s runner of the year.

A week later, Mangelsdorf set a personal best once again. This time during the NCAA Regionals, Mangelsdorf met his goal of posting a time below 24:30, running a personal best 24:24. He placed second in the men’s 8-K to qualify for nationals.

This is all pretty good for an athlete who wasn’t even sure if he wanted to ever run at the collegiate level.

“I wasn’t planning on running in college. In high school I was on and off whether I enjoyed it,” Mangelsdorf said.

It was until his college visit to Principia that Mangelsdorf decided he was meant to run in college, and his decision had as much to do with his fellow athletes as it did with the sport.

“I got to know the cross-country team a little bit. I roomed with them when I visited and found out they were a really fun crew,” Mangelsdorf said. “All my friends were on the running team. I really started enjoying it. They’re the people I hang out with. They’re still one of the main reasons why I do it.”

Mangelsdorf said that support group, and the support of his family, is a big reason why he was able to do so well at nationals.

“I’m very, very grateful for so much support,” Mangelsdorf said. “It’s such a unique experience running at a small college such as this one.”

Mangelsdorf said friends drove to Hanover to watch the race. His family flew in to see him run. His Facebook account was flooded by messages from friends wishing him luck.

“I really felt (the support). It took the pressure off,” Mangelsdorf said. “Before the race, I was so proud of the fact I even made it there. I wanted to go out there and have a good time.”

The race itself was very competitive, Mangelsdorf said, and could have produced a variety of results.

“It was such a deep field. The guy who got 21^st had beaten some guys in the top 5. Anyone from first to 15^th could have won on any given day,” Mangelsdorf said.

Mangelsdorf said he was in second place at about the halfway point of the race. The runner who eventually finished second locked up with Mangelsdorf soon after, and the pair ride side by side for about a kilometer. As the race continued, Mangelsdorf said he held back a bit and eventually ran side by side with the runner who eventually finished sixth. During the final kilometer, Mangelsdorf made his move to solidify his fifth-place finish. The top 5 runners in the field were separated by only 18 seconds.

As Mangelsdorf looks forward, he said he plans on competing for Principia during the indoor track and field season and will focus on the mile and 3-K races. He’s also paired athletics and academics, and is working on a major college project, the design of a website that focuses on training for mountain races. An avid mountain runner, Mangelsdorf finished third in the men’s race during Mount Marathon in Seward July 4.

“There’s really no book on how to train (for mountain running),” Mangelsdorf said.

Mangelsdorf said he’s already talked to some of the big individuals in the sport, such as former Colony High running and skiing star Eric Strabel.

Mangelsdorf said he also aims to pursue a master’s degree in coaching.

As Mangelsdorf reflects on his achievements he looks forward to future endeavors. He said he’s exceeded all of his expectations for his college cross-country career.

“The way it all worked out, I’m beyond grateful,” Mangelsdorf said.