A pair of boys from local middle school track teams stood near the finish line at the Salina Central Invitational and watched in amazement as Kaylie Shultz crossed first in the 1,600 meters, with the runner-up nowhere close behind.
The clock showed Shultz winning in 4:50.63, prompting one of the boys to blurt, “She just crushed my PR.”
Shultz has surpassed many runners’ personal-best times.
A Central junior, Shultz posted the state’s fastest 1,600-meter time this season on Friday afternoon. She ran the race on her 17th birthday and set a school record, finishing nearly 50 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
“My goal was to run under 4:50, and I broke the race into smaller pieces,” she said. “If I had been able to see a clock at the end, I think I could have gone under.”
Shultz entered the meet with a clear race plan, but conditions were challenging. The temperature was 85 degrees at race time, with very little cloud cover.
“When we started the race, and even during my warmup, my heart rate was really high. It was one of the warmest track meets we’ve had all season, and sometimes that affects me a little bit.”
She moved to the front almost immediately and built a comfortable lead early. Even though her legs felt heavy, Shultz said she focused on her form and hit her target splits every 200 meters.
“It was a good race, but I could tell I still have more in me,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Shultz announced on social media that she had committed to run collegiately at Florida State, a Division I program.
“I actually decided to announce it as a birthday present to myself,” she said. “I just thought it would be fun.”
Shultz entered high school with a strong reputation. Running for the Salina Burn Track and Field Club, she began as a sprinter before gradually moving to longer races. By sixth grade, she had run under six minutes in the 1,600 and went on to dominate the distance records at Lakewood Middle.
During her first two years of high school, she and former Mustang Katelyn Rupe formed a standout duo for Central in cross country and track, often finishing first and second.
Rupe moved on to the University of North Carolina this past year, and Shultz has continued that standard. Last fall, she won the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year award in cross country, an honor Rupe captured twice.
This track season, Shultz also set school-best marks in the 800 (2:15.64) and 3,200 (10:21.45).
Several Division I programs recruited Shultz. She narrowed her official visits to Oklahoma State, New Mexico, and Florida State, and also hosted an in-home visit from Syracuse.
“Florida State was my first visit, so I was really excited,” she said of the Tallahassee-based college. “It felt new, and I didn’t know what to expect, so I tried to keep an open mind.”
“On the flight back from Florida, I thought, ‘Wow, I kind of miss this place already.’ Then I went on two other visits, and nothing came close to that feeling.”
With her college decision made, Shultz said it has become easier to focus on the rest of the season, beginning with the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Division II Championships on Thursday in Goddard.
“I’m in a really good place right now, and I’m happy with my fitness,” she said. “I know I can still go faster; I just have to trust myself.”
