Senior Megan Kellogg earned All-American status at last year's DIII track & field championship meet.
CANTON, N.Y. — St. Lawrence senior Megan Kellogg is not a physically imposing person.
But inside her small frame the Queensbury, New York native possesses the fortitude to match anyone, no matter their size.
The 5-3 Kellogg showed what she's made of last March at the NCAA Division III women's indoor track and field championship meet in Naperville, Illinois.
She finished in seventh place in the 5,000-meter run (about three miles) in 17 minutes, 4.32 seconds, to earn All-American status. Just 45 minutes after that grueling race, she was back on the track again, anchoring SLU's distance medley relay to another seventh-place finish and All-American status in that event.
"Other coaches were coming up to me (during the race) and asking, "Didn't she just run the 5K and then the DMR?'," Saints coach Kate Curran said.
Kellogg followed teammates Caroline Driscoll, Molly Lennon and Cassidy Scott by running the 1,600-meter leg in 4:53 to lead the team to a time of 11:56.06.
RELATED: Johns Hopkins ranked atop USTFCCCA DIII preseason coaches' poll
"It was very impressive," Curran said. "She's a tough runner, but she wanted to be there for the team. That was a proud moment as a coach, that she was so selfless."
As the school year begins, Kellogg will be focusing on cross country, a sport in which she's enjoyed a tremendous amount of success at SLU.
As a freshman, she was part of a Saints women's team that finished in third place at the NCAA Division III championship meet. Kellogg has been the Liberty League women's champion in each of the past two seasons.
Another successful edition of the Mike Howard Van Ho Co-ed Relays! pic.twitter.com/LBfYOFQWeW
— SaintsXCTF (@SaintsXCTF) August 27, 2017
"The years have really flown by," Kellogg said. "I feel like every year something really different comes up and just makes it better. I've been very satisfied. I've definitely exceeded my expectations. It's good to go into each season with a fresh start, but I've been able to accomplish a lot throughout my years here."
Kellogg, who said she never qualified for the NYSPHSAA outdoor championship meet in high school, arrived in Canton in 2014 and finished 11th individually in cross country at the NCAA Division III championship meet. In the spring when SLU hosted the outdoor championship meet, she picked up another medal, finishing seventh in the 5,000.
"That was a huge surprise," Kellogg said of her freshman season. "I felt pretty confident throughout the season and I really enjoyed being with the team. It was really a surprise to see how much of a standout I was at the Division III level. I was really fortunate that I was able to compete right here on my own home turf (at the NCAA meet) and represent my school."
Because she has been so successful from the start, Kellogg has always had a prominent place in the SLU program, even at a young age.
WATCH: 2016 DIII championship full replay | JHU takes home title
"Megan is one of our captains this year and is a great leader," Curran said. "When she came in as a (freshman), she was a leader right away because she was one of the fastest runners, but she's definitely developed into a more vocal leader. The girls will go to her for advice or strategy, things like that. Megan is very down-to-earth. You would never know how good a runner she is by talking to her or even by asking her about her running. I think that helps all of our runners, from our very fastest runners all the way back to the pack. Everyone can related to her and she relates to everyone on the team."
Congrats to these @SaintsXCTF women for excelling on the track and in the classroom last year! https://t.co/dOzMoKAchR pic.twitter.com/ETPpfKBFra
— Saints Athletics (@SLUsaints) August 3, 2017
The Saints field a strong women's team in 2017, which includes former Norwood-Norfolk standout Leah Livernois, who was the Liberty League Rookie of the Year last season. Kellogg knows that the team can't count on any past accolades this year as the Liberty League has changed a bit, with the addition of Ithaca College.
"This year is a little different," Kellogg said. "That will increase the competition and you just have to go in with confidence. We have a lot of incoming freshman this year, which is really exciting, and I'm excited to see how they grow as athletes. In high school I wasn't as good. Going into college, seeing how much I improved, and seeing these other girls, how much they grow as athletes, is really exciting.
"We all work really well together and we all have a common goal and a passion for the sport. It's great to see it all pay off in the end."
This article is written by Cap Carey from Watertown Daily Times, N.Y. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
