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For Norse standout cross country runner Megan Cole, family history made NKU a choice of destiny


Some people are born into their destiny. For others, they have to search for it.

For Northern Kentucky University’s Megan Cole, she inherited her parents’ love for running cross country as well as becoming a Norse athlete.

“I always grew up going to alumni events and I liked the campus. [When the time came for me to start visiting schools] my parents stepped out because they didn’t want to persuade me to go there just because they did,” Megan said.

Megan Cole

Cole started actively running in fifth grade and competing in seventh grade. Along with her parents, Jim and Karen, she attended South Ripley High School. Her parents met there and her father is the head cross country coach at South Ripley.

Jim was a senior when Karen became a freshman in high school. When he started attending NKU, he basically recruited her to become a Norse.

“I didn’t recruit Jim, he was already attending NKU,” said cross country head coach Steve Kruse. “I was hired by NKU in August [the first year Jim started school] and was putting up flyers around campus for students to join cross country and track and field.”

Kruse hit it off with Megan’s father right away, helping build Kruse’s team by adding another female in Karen.

“It’s really neat that Megan chose NKU and she is able to run for the same coach we ran for over 20 years ago,” says Jim Cole, Megan’s father. “We are very happy with her choice and her being a second generation makes it’s very special.”

In his first year as a head coach, Kruse says it was nothing short from a challenge but having Jim and Karen on the team made it a very special time.

“While you’re at NKU, you’re going to have a coach-athlete relationship – it’s a very professional relationship,” Kruse said. “But when you graduate – if all goes well – we’ll be close friends.”

And that is exactly what happened between Kruse and Jim Cole.

Jim and Karen continued their lifelong friendship with Kruse, so when Megan decided to commit to NKU, a new Cole coach-athlete relationship had started.

Megan Cole is a standout runner for NKU. (NKU photo)

“I guess the best way to describe it is intensity; Jim had a determination about him,” said Kruse. “He’d bring his eyebrows down and I see that same exact look from Megan. Karen always had a smile on her face, so whenever Megan smiles I see that part of her mother.”

In her first year, Megan has come to experience a new type of family from her teammates.

“As strange as this may sound, my favorite memory was when I passed out after the second mile in a 5k at conference,” she said. “That was because I experienced so much support and everyone cared to make sure I was OK. Everyone was so willing to help.”

Outside of competition, Megan switched her major to education halfway through the 2019-20 school year. She is following her parents’ footsteps in yet another way, as they are both educators as well.

Megan looks forward to becoming a better distance runner, but also on building her relationships at NKU.

“I feel like with NKU you always stay in contact with people in the future, just as my parents did,” said Megan. “The people I’m with now will remain the people I stay in contact with after college.”

From NKU Athletics Communications


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