Kira Dietrich '23 Recruiting Profile

I started playing soccer in kindergarten and joined a club team at 11. I was primarily a midfielder. At 13 (Nov of 8th grade), I tore my ACL. Through the rehab I got introduced to running, but I still had my heart set on playing soccer. 16 months post-op (Mar of 9th grade), I tore the same ACL. Luckily, I had surgery right before they shut down elective surgeries because of COVID and I didn't have any delay in my journey back to 100%. Again, my rehab had me running, but I was enjoying it more this time. As I entered my Sophomore year of HS, I decided to run track in addition to playing HS and club soccer.  After a successful track season, I made the tough decision to walk away from soccer and focus on running. I joined cross country for Junior year to help build my endurance. Unfortunately, I stepped on a stingray in July and had to have surgery to remove the barb from my foot. Losing those weeks of training put me behind where I hoped to be, but I still enjoyed my first xc season. Junior track season was successful with new PRs in the 1600m and 3200m. I was not able to run the 800m due to our team depth. With a full summer of training I averaged 45-50 miles per week and continue to keep up that average. I felt much stronger throughout the xc season and was able to PR at all the courses. I'm excited to get on the track for the spring season and hopefully see continued success. 

I want to study Biology or get into a Pre-Med program on a path to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. This will be a challenging path, but I have always been driven academically and know I have the focus to be successful. 

When I started running, I wasn't sure how I'd do. Now, however, I am more passionate about running than I ever was about soccer. I am eager to continue this journey in college with a coach and team that can push me to meet new PRs and continued enjoyment of running and competing.