WIAC awarded Keeley Behr, a runner for the UW-Eau Claire women’s cross country team, with the Kwik Trip women’s cross country Athlete of the Week.

Keeley Behr led UW-Eau Claire to a first-place victory in last week’s Blugold Invitational, a home cross-country meet. She finished with a time of 22:28:3 in the 6K race placed and fourth overall. Her performance in this race earned her the nomination.

Behr has been running since she was 10 years old and has been part of the university’s team since her first year. Now a third-year student, this is the first time she has received this honor. 

“It was really exciting to receive that nomination. I was surprised to receive it, but I was also very happy to receive that acknowledgment and see that my hard work was paying off,” Behr said.

Last year, a previous member of the cross-country team, Carolyn Shult, won the award twice in one season. 

“She is definitely a big inspiration; she’s a great runner. Being on her team was a big privilege,” Behr said.

The coaches wanted to celebrate Keeley’s progress as a runner. Last week, her efforts at St. Olaf were recognized, as she was nominated for the award as well. At St. Olaf, she placed seventh place overall with a time of 23:03:6. 

Head cross country coach Dan Schwamberger praised Behr’s progress in her timing.

“She’s always been a strong runner, but every year she has progressed,” Schwamberger said. “The past two and a half years, she’s put in a lot of consistency in her training, and it’s great to see her hard work show.”

Keeley said consistency is a value her coach really emphasizes.  

“The process of our training is something I’ve come to trust,” Behr said. “There’s definitely been ups and downs, but success is going to come with consistency in your training.”

Schwamberger said he believes training for these races requires a disciplined mindset that doesn’t focus on just getting the fastest time.

“We don’t put a lot of emphasis on outcomes; just things we can control, sleep, eating well, training,”  Schwamberger said. “Those things are not little. Our focus is to control the controllable. If we can get this done, race day is a celebration of our hard work. That’s all we can ask for.” 

Behr said she looks forward to her team’s progress during the season. Next week, the team will be in Rock Island, Illinois for the interregional invitational. It will include ten regions in Division III. According to Schwamberger, it will be very competitive. 

Behr’s races this season have shown good progress heading into regionals two races away. Her coach said he feels hopeful for those future races for Behr and the team. 

“Keeley is running well. Both women and men had a strong showing at Blugold [Invitational]. It definitely has myself and, more importantly, the team excited for the upcoming meets,” Schwamberger said.

Schwamberger said he does not put a lot of focus on the racing itself. To him, the important details come before the race.

“Getting to the starting line healthy, confident and wanting to race. If you have all those things, everyone can be successful,” Schwamberger said.

James Orozco can be reached at [email protected].