Kendra Foley calls her four years at Grand Valley State University “a college experience like no other.”
She’s right about that. Very few college students accomplish what Noblesville native Foley did while she was wearing a uniform for the Lakers. Foley came to the Allendale, Mich. campus wanting to grow as a runner, and she graduated as a two-time Division II national cross country champion, and a one-time track and field champion, winning the 10,000-meter race in her just-completed senior year.
“Looking back on all of it, it wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it,” said Foley. “I have made friends for a lifetime, memories that I’ll never forget, and a few trophies that make my parents proud.”
Miller fans may remember that Foley was a cross country and track star while home at Noblesville. She graduated as one of a very few athletes who earned All-State honors in cross country all four years of her high school career. But Foley never considered how far she could go in college.
“There was never a point in high school where I thought I would become a national champion or even an All-American,” she said. “I was never a standout in high school, I was just consistently good, never great. I knew I wanted to join a college team that would allow me to grow and improve, and Grand Valley was the perfect match. The coaches at Grand Valley instilled those goals in me because they saw the potential that I did not.”
So, Foley headed up to Michigan, and went from being a Miller to a Laker – the Grand Valley campus is located a few miles away from Lake Michigan. She went through the necessary adjustments to college, noting that there’s not only a difference in training, “but the lifestyle as a whole.”
“It takes a while to learn how to balance running, school, and social aspects, and that was the toughest transition,” said Foley. “As for the training, it didn’t take too long. The coaches at Grand Valley are very good at easing freshmen into the higher mileage and more intense workouts.
“The training I went through was very organized,” said Foley. “Our week was generally the same each week. We would do a hard workout twice a week, a long run on Sunday, and two-a-days twice a week. We also always had Wednesday or Saturday on our own. Those days would either be a short run, a cross train, or completely off. A unique part of Grand Valley training is that the coaches individualize the training a little. They learn what each athlete needs in order to be successful. In cross country the training was very team oriented, and we do workouts all together. Track is more individualized and event specific.”
The freshman Foley ran her first-ever college race in 2013 at Michigan State’s Spartan Invitational, where she ran unattached. She did well, finishing eighth in the non-Division I school event. Her 6000-meter time was 21:51. Foley called that the biggest turning point in her career.
“I was able to stay with the older, faster girls, and that’s when I knew I could really make a difference on this team,” said Foley.
From there, the rest is history, and success came rather quickly. Foley finished 11th at the Division II national championship as a freshman, and was part of GVSU’s national championship team. The next year – Dec. 6, 2014 in Louisville – less than 15 months after her first collegiate race, Foley was a national individual champion, speeding home in a time of 21:05.8.
“Winning the cross country title in 2014 was my favorite win/race,” said Foley. “I knew I had a chance going into it, but I knew I had to take a risk.”
But there’s more. Grand Valley State swept the top three positions, with Allyson Winchester and Jessica Janecke finishing second and third respectively.
“That has never been done before in the NCAA, and being a part of that was incredible,” said Foley.
The Lakers’ 1-2-3 performance boosted them to the team championship. GVSU scored 50 points to win the national title, well ahead of Hillsdale’s 115 points. Foley called the team win “icing on the cake.”
“This was the stepping stone that led me through the rest of my career,” she said.
Foley would go on to earn All-America honors all four years in cross country, and was named the Division II National Women’s Athlete of the Year in 2014.
In 2015, Foley finished as runner-up, getting edged by Alexis Zeis of the University of Mary for the national title by 0.3 seconds. Grand Valley State finished second as a team as well, with Adams State scoring 83 points to the Lakers’ 97.
But Foley and GVSU would be back for the 2016 season; that year nationals took place in St. Leo, Fla. The Lakers’ re-claimed the team title over Adams State 116-139, and Foley ran away from Zeis to win her second individual championship, racing home in 20:01.8, over 24 seconds ahead of Zeis. That 20:01.8 stands as her career best.
“The second title in 2016 was a lot different,” said Foley. “The first one was in Louisville, Ky. so our entire team traveled down to watch and cheer. In 2016, the championship was in Florida, and unfortunately our fan bus couldn’t make it that far, so that was another reason 2014 was so special to me, having all of my team there made all the difference. 2016 was less crazy, but all the more special because it was my last one. Cross country is my favorite part of the year, and ending on a win, was the perfect ending to a great career. Winning as a team in the process made this race unforgettable.”
Foley had a slow but steady and successful climb to the top in track. She was an All-American all four years in outdoor track, and totaled 17 All-American awards for her collegiate career as a whole (four in cross country, 13 in indoor and outdoor track).
Foley first earned All-American honors in indoor track as part of the distance medley relay at the Division II Indoor Championships, where GVSU finished eighth in that event. Then at the outdoor championships, Foley placed fifth in the 5,000-meter run.
Foley continued to run well in the 5000, placing in the top 10 her sophomore and junior years in both the indoor and outdoor meets. Her goal was always to win the 5000, but she came to a realization her senior year.
“I didn’t realize until my senior year that the 10k was my race (I wish I knew that my junior year),” she said.
Foley’s only year as a 10,000-meter runner was a great one, and she finished it with another national title. At the Division II National Championships in Bradenton, Fla. she won the 10K in a time of 34:36.21, over 12 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Foley moved up consistently throughout the race and jumped in front with less than 3000 meters to go.
“Ending my time in a Grand Valley uniform with a win in the 10k and runner up in the 5k is better than I could have imagined ending it,” said Foley.
Foley got so much out of her college career, and now she’s ready to give back. Foley graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and Sport Leadership and decided to pursue a career in college coaching.
“I want to help other athletes grow and evolve,” said Foley. “I want to give others a similar experience I got.”