The record is broken; not just broken but shattered. In a remarkable run, senior Kinley Cooley broke her own school record in the 5k at the opening cross-country meet in Billings, Montana. Cooley set the scene for what is hoped to be an incredible cross-country season, not just for herself, but also for the rest of the Panther runners.

On August 30, Cooley made history by running an impressive 18:49.06, becoming the first Lady Panther to ever break into the 18 minutes and to win the Billings meet. In doing so, she crushed her previous record of 19:38.46 by nearly a minute.

“It makes me really proud of myself, which I feel like people don’t often have an opportunity to just admit that they’re proud of themselves,” Cooley said. “It took me a lot of work and it, I think, really shows when I break the records.”

Cooley’s achievement didn’t happen overnight. She has put in many hours of hard work to put her at the level she is running right now. 

“It has been in the works since I was in cross country in eighth grade,” Cooley said. “But more specifically over this summer, I worked really hard. I ran a lot of miles and I did a lot of cross-training to make sure I took care of my body so that I didn’t get any injuries.”

Going into the race, Cooley knew what she wanted to accomplish, and did it.

“I knew that the Hardin girls who were there are always fast and really have some good race strategies,” Cooley said. “So my strategy, kind of personally, was just to try to stick with their little pack of two girls that usually leads races and try to hold on to them. I wanted to make sure I got out in the first mile.”

With the first few meets of the season out of the way, the goal for Cooley now looks a little different. 

“The record’s been broken; who cares about that anymore?” Cooley said. “[The goal is to] just work on our strategy more as a team, to be able to beat Cody again at state. Instead of individual times and PRs, [we’re] just working with each other and focusing on who we need to catch and who we need to be in front of to take that title.”

Cooley’s coaches will never hesitate to brag about her and all of the hard work she puts into becoming the fantastic runner she is. 

“Kinley is a really hard worker. She does extra runs in the morning, she does her long runs on the weekend. I mean she’s one of those kids that we know is going to do the workout, whether we do it as a group or whether she is on her own,” Assistant Cross Country Coach Mrs. Tracy McArthur said. “It helps set the tone for the rest of the team when you have someone that works hard every day and that not only carries on for this year, but for years to come because the younger kids see it, and it sets the example.”

No doubt, this cross country season is going to be an eventful one for not just Cooley, but for the whole Panther team. 

“[Cooley] loves running,” Head Cross Country Coach Mrs. Ashley Hildebrand said. “That’s evident in what she does.”