NORTH ROBINSON — In Cece Chase, Youngstown State is getting a person dedicated to her craft.
Chase, a Colonel Crawford senior, signed her letter of intent to run cross country for the Penguins next fall.
“I’m really excited to get pushed at practice,” Chase said of competing with other top high school runners. “Our coaches do their best here. But I’m excited to be running with so many girls every day, pushing me all the time.”
Chase has run for both cross country coach Jordan Kiess and track coach Jody Grove. Both are convinced she has what it takes to compete at the next level.
“Cece has been working really hard since she started running for both of us in seventh grade,” Kiess said. “She’s always been very goal oriented. She texts both of us and askes, ‘What’s next, what’s more.’”
Kiess indicated that though Chase signed to run cross country, sometimes college coaches want runners to compete in distance events on the track team as well.
“Cece talked to them up there,” Grove said. “Their workouts are aligned to what we do here. Jordan and I have learned a lot of things and changed our whole program around in the last five years. When our kids go to college, they’re pretty much aligned with what we do here. They feel pretty comfortable easing into it.”
Youngstown State is a member of the Horizon League, consisting of 11 mid-major Division I schools, so the competition level will be high.
The choice of YSU became obvious, though other schools were interested.
“I went up there last year and I went up again this summer and stayed the night with the team,” Chase said. “I just really liked the environment up there. The coaches were really nice. They welcomed me. I felt like it would be a good fit.”
Chase visited Ohio University and Louisville and had contact with coaches in other college divisions. But she narrowed the choice to Youngstown State quickly.
“Their training programs that they’ve shown me and how the girls talk about the team makes me really want to go there because everyone seems to like it,” Chase said. “Their facilities are really nice. They have a new indoor track. You can go in there anytime. The apartments are super nice that the team stays in.”
YSU also has Chase’s chosen major of nursing, for which she has two years of college course under her belt from North Central State College.
“I think she’s excited for that challenge and she’s up for it,” Grove said. “As Jordan said, she always wants more.”