Athlete of the Week: Ariana Kelly

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Ariana Kelly

While some may not have expected her high level of success, Kelly has always believed that "if I gave myself the opportunity, I could be as good as I wanted."

This positive attitude has paid huge dividends for both Kelly and the women's cross country program. Beginning last fall, Kelly began to churn out result after impressive result.

Having solidified her position as the top Bulldog runner, Kelly took aim at the rest of the league. She did not disappoint. Among Kelly's highlights was last year's Harvard-Yale-Princeton competition, winning individually and helping Yale win the meet for the first time since 1990. After that feat, and after qualifying for the NCAAs, Kelly had left herself a tough act to follow.

Follow it she has. Kelly has again begun the season blazing. This streak culminated last weekend, when she found a strong finishing kick to win the ECAC championship. Her time of 17:41.50 gave her the ninth-best Yale time ever at the Van Cortlandt Park course in New York.

Kelly's mental preparation played a key role in her triumph. "It was much more of a mental rather than physical victory," she said, explaining that by not "wasting [her energy] in worrying about the race before it even began," she was able to save enough for the final stretch.

Kelly's confidence allows her to rise above the challenge. By trying to relax and not to stress about the races beforehand, she is able to achieve total concentration on the course. Her coach, Mark Young, ES '68, approves. "She is exactly right," he said when discussing the need to be able to relax before a race.

Kelly aims to run well for the rest of the season and earn a berth in the NCAAs by qualifying in the race held on Sat., Nov. 14. Despite tough competition, Young is entusiastic about Kelly's chances. "If she keeps running the way she has, she will qualify," he said.

However, now Kelly is focusing on enjoying her final Yale season. "I would obviously like to qualify for NCAAs and run well there," she said. "However, my larger goal is to enjoy the races for what they are rather than thinking of how I should do or how I have done in the past."

Kelly, who puts an amazing amount of time into cross country, also finds the time to study for her literature major focusing on Irish literature. After college, Kelly hopes to spend a year or two in Ireland to continue her studies. She's leaving her options open, however; she might want to work at a press or magazine or potentially teach.

--Steven J. Rosenthal

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