AUBURN, Ala. – Growing up in Eldoret, Kenya, Joyce Kimeli was always the fastest runner in her class.
"Since I know I'm talented and gifted, I always utilize the opportunity I have to do my best, and just believing in myself like I can do it," the Auburn junior said.
Kimeli's talent and work ethic have helped her become one of the country's best collegiate distance runners.
Last week, she won the NCAA South Regional in Tallahassee, Florida.
On Saturday, she'll compete in the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.
"I believe in myself and I do the work, and that's why I win," said Kimeli, the South Regional Women's Athlete of the Year.
For each kilometer of the 6K race, Kimeli has a strategy.
"The first thing when the gun goes off is just positioning myself in the first 1K, and then the second kilometer, I need to relax, the third and fourth kilometers, I need to see how the pace goes," she said. "Is it fast? Am I comfortable to maintain it? And then the fifth is getting ready. How many people are in the pack? And the sixth kilometer is the time to do the work."
Kimeli has been doing the work all season, finishing in the top three in each of her four races.
"I'm seeing a tremendous amount of toughness. She rises to the challenge," Auburn cross country coach David Barnett said. "She makes the most of every opportunity and she enjoys the challenge. It's been a continuation of what's been going on the past two and a half years. She's getting to reap the benefits of a lot of hard work for a lot of years."
Traveling 8,000 miles from Africa to America, the pre-nursing major says Auburn's facilities, coaching and teaching have helped her develop academically and athletically.
"Those are the things that help me do well because I don't lack anything," she said. "I'm getting good training, as well as my classes are going on well."
With a top 40 finish, Kimeli would become the first Auburn woman to be All-America in cross country since Holly Knight in 2008.
"She's in a great spot," Barnett said. "She's going to be very competitive. I expect her to treat it like another day in the office and go out there, have fun representing her school and her family."
A month ago, Kimeli finished second at the Pre-National Invitational on the same Lavern Gibson Course on which she'll compete Saturday.
"Since I already know what the course looks like, it will give me an impression or a picture," she said. "Where do I need to relax? Where do I need to push the pace? I know where it's hilly and where it's flat."
The women's 6k will begin Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10:15 a.m. CT. A live stream of the championships can be accessed at http://bit.ly/32i5aw3 and the results of the championships can be accessed at http://ptti.me/19-NCAAXC.
Those who watch the race in person or online will likely see an Auburn Tiger in the lead pack. But blazing fast race times tell only part of the Joyce Kimeli story.
"How I am talented, how I train, how I respect everyone, how I talk to people," Kimeli said. "Most of all, of being a disciplined, prayerful, hard-working person, and following the footsteps of those people who have succeeded ahead of me."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer