By Rich Torres | Daily Reporter
NEW PALESTINE — Distance running wasn’t something New Palestine senior Kaylin Casner believed would take her places. It was just fun.
More importantly, it was a time to bond.
While some student-athletes chase their collegiate dreams from a young age, Casner was spending quality time with her mother, Dawn, from the beginning.
Casner ran her first 5K in Indianapolis during the annual Color Me Rad event as a sixth-grader. The experience she shared with her mother, a former distance runner at Scecina Memorial, was all she needed to eventually leave softball and volleyball behind.
“We’ve done some color runs and foam runs, and I think that got me really all started,” Casner said. “When I was younger, I used to do little 5K runs with my mom, and I wasn’t very good at sprinting, so I stuck with distance.”
Before high school, Casner didn’t compete as a runner. She was an outfielder and a first baseman on the softball diamond until the age of 13. She tried volleyball for two years as a high school freshman and sophomore.
Running was her pastime, however, and it inadvertently became her path towards a collegiate future at the University of Indianapolis where she will continue her career.
“It was quite amazing. She came out for track her freshman year, and she was special from the beginning,” New Palestine girls track coach Chuck Myers said. “She was very good, and she accomplished a lot with multiple championships and being a state-qualifier all three years she actually could compete. She was a special kind of runner from her first step through the door.”
Casner was also a true rookie from the first day. While experienced in the act, she had to learn the sport with each stride from Myers and fellow distance running coach Eric Branch.
“To be honest, I really didn’t know what (state) was,” Casner laughed. “I didn’t really know what sectional, regional and state were. I was just sort of taking it all in (as a freshman).”
Her lack of initial knowledge was actually her greatest asset, Myers emphasized. Instead of focusing on time, Casner fixated on the finish line, and she made it a routine to place high for the defending Hancock County and Hoosier Heritage Conference champion Dragons.
“I don’t think she understood track at all, honestly. She just went out and wanted to beat everyone else,” Myers said. “She’s just competitive. At first, she would say, ‘I have to beat this person? Okay.’ She did that all the time.”
Her outlook led to a state berth as a freshman in the 1,600-meter run at the IHSAA Girls State Championship in Bloomington. She placed 18th after winning the Franklin Regional in 5 minutes, 12.37 seconds. She was second at sectional, which foreshadowed the next two years.
“As a freshman, she actually ran all four of the distance races. She ran the 800, 4×800 relay, 1,600 and 3,200 at county her freshman year,” Myers said. “She is very versatile and can run multiple distances. She actually ran the 4×400 in indoor this year, and the time was the 10th-fastest in school history. She has range from the 400 to the 5K.”
In her final county meet last year, Casner, then a junior, was a triple-winner for the champion Dragons. She claimed the 800 (2:27.99) and the 1,600 (5:20.33) and was part of the 3,200-meter relay team with Brenna Shaw, Sophia Taylor and Grace Voelz.
Casner’s win in the 1,600 during last year’s HHC Meet helped secure New Palestine’s third straight team title.
“It’s nice to know I was able to help them earn those titles,” Casner said. “It was pretty cool to see. Jordan (Reid) was a big help, too.”
Casner’s contributions were difficult to overlook.
As a sophomore, she qualified for state in the 800 after placing third at both sectional and regional. The 3,200 relay team finished second at sectional and regional to advance to state that season.
Her junior year proved to be the best. Casner and the 3,200 relay team won the regional title in 9:34.79 and placed ninth at state to qualify for the 2019 New Balance Nationals in North Carolina.
The team placed 17th overall at nationals with a time of 9:38.17, but unfortunately, Casner and the Dragons lost a chance to replicate or top the feat once the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic cancelled the high school spring sports season.
“I was really looking forward to this last season with my teammates, so it’s been disappointing, but I’m super excited that I still have another four years ahead of me,” Casner said. “I had some goals set that I wanted to meet with my teammates. We were hoping to place at state and go to nationals again. I kind of wanted to win some other tournament events, too.”
For now, Casner is settling for training with UIndy on her mind. Unless she gets in her groove while spreading out 20-25 miles per week at around 4-5 miles logged on any given day.
“Sometimes, when I run I think of nothing,” Casner laughed. “Sometimes, I’ll get songs stuck in my head, and if I have someone to run with, it’s nice to talk with them. I think it’s a good way to clear my mind.”
Casner plans to major in exercise science at UIndy with a concentration in occupational therapy, an interest that stems from the first time she completed her first mile.
“I’m pumped to be able to do this again. Now, I have four years under my belt, so I’ll really try to focus on improving my times and becoming a better run,” Casner said. “I’ve always been interested in how the body works and moves and functions, and I think running has kind of had a part in that. Plus, I’ve heard people speak highly of the field.”
The same goes for those speaking of Casner, who is known for her reserved yet determined demeanor and ponytail and french braids at every state meet.
“I’d love see her run for us one more time. It would be great. But, if not, she’s had a wonderful career,” Myers said. “This team and the seniors, they expected to win. They didn’t have any expectations of not being that good. When they came in as freshmen, they worked, and her and Jordan Reid were a big part of that. The competition helps, but they just bought that mentality.”
