Ashlyn Keeney climbs out of ‘valley,’ back on top at Drake Relays with Iowa State

DES MOINES —Ashlyn Keeney is striding strong again, powering through each step on the track with precision, strength and purpose.

The former Iowa City Liberty standout has fully emerged from an extended stay in a self-described “valley” — and Friday the Iowa State freshman basked with her teammates atop the medal stand at the Drake Relays.

“It’s just so amazing,” said Keeney, who helped Iowa State’s women’s 6,400-meter relay team run a school-record 19:04.56 en route to a flag-waving Relays triumph. “In high school, I won individually, but it was still super-fun to share with my teammates. This is just another level of that. I’m really proud of them. It’s something special.”

Especially considering how Keeney — a two-time Gatorade Iowa High School Female Track Athlete of the Year — struggled her senior season at the Relays. She didn’t meet her usual sky-high standards. Both mental and physical obstacles loomed large, but joining the Cyclones’ program lit Keeney’s path toward a recent resurgence.

“I’m going back up from that valley,” said Keeney, who won four individual Relays titles for the Lightning. “And I definitely would not have been able to come out of the place I was in without my teammates and my coach (Amy Rudolph). Just coming to college, I really didn’t expect to be getting to run at Drake with the team and stuff. It really just makes me excited for the future and just really grateful.”

Keeney celebrated the victory with seniors Madelynn Hill, Janette Schraft and Cailie Logue. She found out a couple weeks ago she’d run alongside her veteran teammates at the Relays and once the lineup was set, they knew they could be successful.

“I’ve seen these girls grind through some hard times and some good times, so I knew they were gonna go out there and get the job done.” Hill said.

ISU beat its nine-year-old previous record in the event by nearly nine seconds — and won Friday’s race by nearly 22 seconds over Arkansas State. Keeney ran the second leg and methodically turned a narrow lead into a commanding one.

“When I got the baton I was just trying to keep myself from going out too fast, because I have a habit of going out too fast, especially in relays, like kicking that first lap and getting into the hurt locker early, as my coach would say,” Keeney said. “So I was just trying to stay calm and my teammates and coach were telling me, ‘Stay calm, stay calm.’ I just slowly got into the lead and then that last lap, when I knew I could make it for home, I just started to kick it in.”

Friday’s performance showed Kenney’s not merely ascending from that valley of doubt. She’s starting to peak again, as well.

“Before the race, my coach said to me, ‘You’re not the same runner that you were the last time you were here. You can go out now and do this,’” Keeney said. “It just means a lot. I have really good people around me.”

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