Kristen Gillespie

Cross Country and Track & Field - Class of 2008

"Kristen Gillespie was a legitimate three-sport athletic star at Shawnee Mission South High School. She played basketball, ran cross country, and was a track and field athlete. She excelled in all three. Kristen was a three-year starter for the basketball team, and she was All-Metro and All-Sunflower League her senior year. In cross country, she was two-time 1st team All-Metro, two-time 1st team All-Johnson Country, and was a three-time All-State runner. Those accomplishments alone would make her a candidate for the Shawnee Mission South Raider Athletic Hall of Fame, but it was in track and field where she really made her mark. In track, Kristen was a four-year All-State runner, winning 15 state medals. For four years she ran the 4 x 800 meter relay, the 4 x 400 meter relay, the 400 meter sprint, and the 800 meter run. Kristen anchored the 4 x 800 meter relay to the all-time Kansas best mark. She was the Kansas City Star track athlete of the year in 2008 and was a finalist for the Kansas City Star overall athlete that same year. Kristen's success as an athlete was complemented by her academic pursuits, as she was a member of the National Honor Society at Shawnee Mission South. Upon graduation, Kristen found her way to the University of Arkansas, where she was a four-time All American in track, set an SEC record in the indoor mile, and was the SEC Cross Country Champion her senior year. Kristen earned success everywhere she went. All her coaches attest to her work ethic and commitment to excellence. Once, when questioned by a coach as to why she was competing and running with the boy's team in practice one day, Kristen uttered the following quote which has come to define her, "Coach, I'll do whatever it takes to be good." She certainly has done what it takes to be "good." She has set the standard for athletes and pushed herself to excel in all areas. For these reasons, the Shawnee Mission South Raider Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes Kristen to its ranks."