Rebeka Stowe Steps Up To Become Leader in 2010
Nov. 22, 2010
Rebeka Stowe has consistently been one of the top female Jayhawk runners in the Kansas track & field program for the past three seasons. She has a personal best 1500m time of 4:28.69, which ranks first among the returning KU women.
Last year, Stowe recorded the second-best 1500m time on the team, only behind former Jayhawk Lauren Bonds – who Stowe lists as the most significant person in her track career. “Lauren Bonds was the perfect example of the commitment and hard work it takes to achieve your goals,” Stowe explained.
Along with Lauren Bonds, Stowe says that her mom has been the most influential person in her life, “She is the strongest person I know, she has sacrificed so much for me over the years and is always there for me. I don’t know where I would be today without her quiet guidance.”
With her mom’s direction, and being able to learn from Bonds, Stowe was able to qualify for Nationals in the Distance Medley Relay and received All-American honors, as well as representing the United States at the North American, Central American, And Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 meet this past summer.
Growing up in Olathe, Kan., which is only about a 30 minute drive from the KU campus, Stowe was able to decide that being a Jayhawk was what she needed to do, “I liked the fact that I would be so close to home and be able to go back and forth easily. The facilities were amazing and the team seemed like a really fun group that got along very well.”
There is a chance that Stowe’s next path in life may not be a half-hour drive from home, “I would like to eventually run professionally and be as good as I can possibly be,” Stowe said. “I would love to have the opportunity to represent the country in the Olympics or World Championships; but right now, I just want to continue to improve mentally and physically in every single meet that I compete in.”
If Stowe is able to run professionally after her Jayhawk career is finished, 2008 Olympian Jenny Barringer and Shalane Flanagan, who is the American record holder in three different track and field events, are two professional runners who she would like to model her career after.
With the 2010-11 indoor track and field season beginning on Dec. 4, when Kansas hosts the Bob Timmons Challenge, it will be fun to see where Rebeka Stowe’s career takes her.
