Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Mt. Pleasant Girls’ Track and Field program has been nearly unstoppable in southeast Iowa over the past decade after taking back the Southeast Conference (SEC) championship from Washington for their 11th title in 13 years.
A big reason for that success has been Kynlee White, leading to the speedster signing her letter of intent to continue her Track and Field career at Southeastern Community College. White discussed what went into the decision,
“Yeah, it’s actually started a while back in the summer. I went all the way to Wisconsin and visited two huge schools there, and I was like, yeah, maybe I want to be far away and do that, and then I stayed in touch with those schools, but I came back, went to some smaller D3 schools, and I loved them, but then I realized maybe I don’t want to be far away in those schools. I don’t want to go to a big school either. Also, if you know any of my teachers or any of my coaches, I like to say I’m an athlete-student. I don’t like school at all, so maybe going to a four-year school wouldn’t be the route for me, so I’d rather go to a two-year, smaller school and keep it close.”
The senior has put together quite the resume through her three years as a Panther, setting a new school record in the 4×200 meter relay with Alex Scott, Kiyah Sanders, and Ellie Freeman, which was also an SEC meet record helping the Panthers take back the conference title. A moment she would put at the top of the list of memories,
“You know, it was down to the last race. I was in that race, the 4×400, which I don’t always run that, but I like to do what’s, I’m a very team [oriented] player. I like to do what our team needs, and I actually wasn’t the anchor of that, but it was between two teams, and we had to get that to win, and I put everything I had out there to get it to win, and it was a really surreal moment.”
Additionally, she is a three-time state qualifier—three times for the 4×200, twice for the 4×100, and once in the 200-meter dash and sprint medley—and two-time Drake Relays qualifier. Even though White has done just about every other sport the school offers, the spring season can never come around quick enough,
“Me and my friend Ella, that’s all we ever talk about. If you’re ever around us, it’s always, oh, track’s this many days away, or this many days away, and I’ve been distracted by playing other sports, but always, I’m always ready to be back on the track doing what I love.”
At last year’s State Track Meet, White took 6th in the 4×100 meter relay and 10th in the 4×200 meter relay with the team’s 5th place finish in the 4×100 meter relay in her sophomore campaign being her best finish. With the gift of speed, the thought process on the oval is simple,
“Coach [Scot] Lamm always tells me not to think, just go,” said Kynlee White. “He says that I’m an athlete, and just go. There’s nothing, so you can’t really think about anything. Once you’re out on there, you literally can’t be in your head. Just go, do it.”
With the track season looming, it is nice to have the dream finalized for White,
“I always wanted to be a college athlete and specifically running track. You know, I participate in other sports, volleyball, basketball, but I like to say I just do those to stay in shape, and I’ve really enjoyed them the last basketball season, but running track has always been my favorite, and I’ve always wanted to continue doing it.”
White is looking at enjoying her senior season with her friends and coaches with the expectation to get back to the Blue Oval twice this season. More than anything it’s an opportunity to keep the tradition of Mt. Pleasant track rolling,
“Just do what Mount Pleasant Track does best, and go kick butt out there…”
In terms of studies, White has narrowed down her choice but has not officially decided,
“I haven’t really thought too much into it. That’s what, one of the hardest decisions was, was thinking about what I’m gonna do. I originally thought I was gonna do kinesiology, but then I realized I don’t want any of the careers that come out of that, so I think business administration, there’s, it’s very versatile, and there’s a lot that I can, a lot of different pathways I can go with that.”
The season will get underway with the Indoor State Meet scheduled for March 12th at Iowa State University.