NIACC's Kraft signs with Western State Colorado University

MASON CITY - Heading into his junior cross country season in high school, John Kraft and the Mason City cross country team trained in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kraft liked what he saw.

After two seasons at NIACC, Kraft will be heading back to the Rocky Mountain State as he signed a national letter of intent Monday to run cross country at Western State Colorado University, a NCAA Dvision II school in Gunnison, Colo.

"On our high school trip out there, I really liked the mountains and training in the altitude," Kraft said. "It's a lot different than the trails and roads here in Iowa."

Kraft was a two-time all-NJCAA Region XI selection in cross country at NIACC. He plaed 24th at the 2017 regional meet and was 20th at the regional meet in 2016.

Kraft said he two seasons at NIACC helped prepare him for the next level.

"It was like a small tight-knit family here," Kraft said of NIACC. "We all got to know each other really well and we all pushed each other from the first guy on the team to the last."

Kraft said he the Western State Colorado University program reminded him of NIACC.

"The first day I was there I was able to meet a lot of the guys on the team," he said. "It seemed like a family atmosphere." 

KRAFT AT NIACC

2017 at NIACC

NJCAA Region XI time trial (5K) - 8th (16:10). Augustana Twilight Invitational (4-mile) - 102nd (21:21). Les Duke Invitational (8K) - 25th (26:48). Trent Smith Invitational (8K) - 12th (27:31). NJCAA Region XI meet (8K) - 24th (28:05). NJCAA Division I national meet (8K) - 131st (27:33).

2016 at NIACC

NJCAA Region XI time trial (5K) - 18th (17:27). Augustana Twilight Invitational (4-mile) - 112th (21:14). Les Duke Invitational (8K) - 54th (29:49). Roy Griak Invitational (8K) - 201st (29:06). Arkansas Chile Pepper (8K) - 180th (27:41). Loras College Invitational (8K) - 36th (28:51). NJCAA Region XI meet (8K) - 20th (27:41). NJCAA national meet (8K) -172nd (28:26).

Personal bests

5K - 16:10 (2017 NJCAA Region XI time trial, Council Bluffs, Iowa).

8K - 26:48 (2017 Les Duke Invitational, Grinnell, Iowa).