Nelson in lead pack

ISU sports information

 AMES - Before she arrived on campus, you would have had to search hard to find someone who thought Iowa State distance standout Meaghan Nelson would be running among the nation's top collegiate distance runners.

Not that the 2006 state champion from Cedar Rapids Xavier hadn't demonstrated talent in high school. But it's a precipitous leap from high school achiever to NCAA Division I front-runner.

Iowa State cross country coach Corey Ihmels believed in Nelson and her potential.

“Often the dividing line between who makes it and who doesn't is their work ethic,” Ihmels said. “You have to live the life of a good runner before becoming one. There are many who aren't willing to live that life. The more Meaghan learned, the more she began living that lifestyle.”

Ihmels should know. He helped Lisa Koll, an unheralded Iowan, become a four-time NCAA champion. And Nelson's teammate, All-American Dani Stack, had never finished in the top 20 of a Minnesota state cross country meet before arriving at Iowa State.

Nelson and her teammates have come a long way.

Last Sunday, Nelson helped the Cyclone women win the Big 12 cross country title, finishing second in the 6,000-meter race in 19 minutes, 33.8 seconds. Stack was sixth.

It all started before the 2008 season when Ihmels decided to red-shirt Koll and All-American Grace Kemmey. That meant that freshmen like Nelson and Stack would be moved up for front-line duty. For a young Cyclone team expected to finish last in the conference, ignorance was bliss.

“Back then we were so clueless,” Nelson said. “We were just going out and running. We didn't yet understand the opportunities that were out there for us.”

That team surprised everyone, placing ninth at the league meet as Stack and Nelson gave a glimpse of their bright futures.

Nelson's biggest success didn't occur overnight. But after overcoming injuries, she could feel herself turn the corner last April.

“Around the time of the (2011) Drake Relays, my workout times were fast,” Nelson said. “I was running PRs for different distances.”

Nelson, while red-shirting the outdoor track season, won the 5,000-meter race at the Drake Relays last season as an unattached competitor. This season, she has been blossoming into perhaps what Ihmels first saw of her when she arrived on campus.