SOPHOMORE
Letterwinner.
NWC Scholar-Athlete.
Turned in a season-best time of 20:48.5 in the 6K at Western Oregon’s Ash Creek Invitational on Sept. 10.
Placed 13th at Willamette’s Repeat Mile Run on Oct. 16 for a season-best time of 29:14.7 in the 8K.
Finished 68th at the NWC Championships with a time of 29:44.9.
FRESHMAN
Letterwinner.
Recorded best time in the 8K of 29:33.7 at the Charles Bowles Invitational.
Ran a time of 22:08.9 in the 6K race at the Ash Creek Festival.
Season best time of 17:59.2 in the 5K came at the Stumptown Race.
FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL
Letterwinner in track and field.
Inducted into the Franklin Cross Country Hall of Fame.
Member of three teams that placed top-five at the state championship.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Majoring in wine studies.
Studied abroad in Southern Italy during January Term.
Son of Angela and Jeremy Kern, who both attended Linfield.
Also competes in track and field at Linfield.
WHY LINFIELD? I got interested in Linfield because both my parents went here. I loved the campus on my tour, and it's a great school for pursuing science, studying abroad and playing sports. I also wanted to go to a small school after high school.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A STUDENT-ATHLETE AT LINFIELD? Being a student-athlete gives me a sense of organization and responsibility. I believe it's a great way to become balanced as a person, and I want to continue to have sports in my life to help with my academics.
WHAT IS THE BEST CLASS YOU HAVE TAKEN AT LINFIELD? My favorite class has been Sensory Evaluation of Wine. Learning about the complicated process of making wine is hard when you aren’t able to experience the final product. This was an amazing opportunity to do just that. Each week, we tasted a different category of wine, from reds and whites to sparkling and fortified. We learned how to properly taste wine and evaluate the sensory characteristics of each of them.
WHO HAS BEEN THE GREATEST INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? WHY HAS HE OR SHE BEEN SO INFLUENTIAL? One of my biggest inspirations is Kawhi Leonard, who is a professional basketball player. He’s one of the best players in the league but never trash talks or brags. He lets his game do the talking, and I look up to that and respect him for it because there aren’t too many famous athletes who are so genuine and humble. I have definitely followed a similar manner and mindset as an athlete and a person.
THE GREATEST LESSON THAT I’VE LEARNED WHILE COMPETING IN ATHLETICS AT LINFIELD HAS BEEN... The greatest thing I’ve learned about being a Division III athlete is that I love competing. During the pandemic, going to practice every day was the only constant. Getting to race when everything else was crazy made me appreciate running even more. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do one of the things I love most as a complement to academics.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR LINFIELD ATHLETIC CAREER THUS FAR? The highlight of my athletic career was the first week we were on campus during my freshman year when we had our team camp. I felt like I had been at Linfield for years because everyone was so welcoming. We got to hangout and have fun running together, playing frisbee and volleyball and sitting around the campfire every night. It was the perfect way to welcome the newcomers into the community and strengthen our team chemistry before the season started.
AS A LINFIELD STUDENT-ATHLETE, MY GOALS INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY FOR MY TEAM ARE... My goals individually are to exceed my preseason expectations I have for myself every year. I want to improve each year not only in my times but also in my race strategy and knowledge. For my team, I want everyone to enjoy themselves and achieve their own personal goals.
WHEN NOT COMPETING IN SPORTS OR STUDYING FOR SCHOOL, I LIKE TO… Spend time with my friends and hang out around the beautiful campus. I also absolutely love going out to eat downtown because McMinnville has a fantastic selection of restaurants.
WHAT MAKES YOU AN INTERESTING STUDENT-ATHLETE? I like having fun, and I will bring a fun personality to both the cross country and track & field teams while trying exciting things in my studies.
