Former Methacton hurdler finds her stride at Kansas State

For Ryann Krais, the Penn Relays were the ultimate experience in competition, something she did all through her high school career at Methacton and her freshman year at UCLA.

"There is no way to describe how big a deal Penn Relays is to me," she said.

After not competing a year ago, Krais is returning to action during the Penn Relays weekend for her new school, Kansas State.

Only she won't be at Penn. She'll be at Drake - the Drake Relays, the meet in Des Moines, Iowa, that competes with the ancient Franklin Field carnival for great teams and individuals.

Odd?

"The Drake Relays is a big deal to the people out here," Krais said earlier this week in a telephone interview from Manhattan, Kan. "I'm excited to be competing. I'll have a chance to compare it to Penn. To me, there's something special about Penn that can't be replaced. But I want to give Drake a chance."

Krais, 21, a junior, will compete at Drake in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x800 relay, continuing a season that has seen her make breakthroughs in a number of events as she prepares for the Big Twelve and NCAA championships in the heptathlon.

She established a school record and personal-best time of 57.04 seconds in the 400 hurdles last weekend at the Kansas Relays and ran 13.63 - another personal best - to win the 100 hurdles.

"She is training at an incredibly high level and doing a lot of work on the track," Kansas State coach Cliff Rovelto said on the school's athletic website.

Krais transferred last summer from UCLA, which she attended for two years, because "things weren't working out the way I wanted them to."

Looking for a school that was strong in multi-event disciplines, Krais was urged to speak with Rovelto, who had recruited her out of high school, for some advice. Rovelto insisted he didn't make a sales pitch to Krais, but she liked what he had to say and decided on Kansas State.

"I was looking for a program with a different structure," she said. "This program has had tons of success under coach Rovelto. I think it's a great place for me to get to the next level.

"I think I've made a big step in the 800 and that I moved up in everything else. I felt like my consistency is better. The training methods here are different. It's much more organized. There are little things I hadn't done before which I'm doing now."

Krais placed sixth in the pentathlon at the NCAA indoor championships, earning all-American honors. Outdoors, she posted 5,858 points earlier this month in the Texas Relays heptathlon, second-highest in K-State history.

"It's a different program so you have to adjust to it," she said. "Sometimes it's different for a transfer athlete. It's a question of intangibles. But I have so much confidence in the program. I feel it's going to bring me the success that I want."

It's quite an eye-opener to go from the picturesque Westwood section of Los Angeles to sleepy Manhattan, dubbed the "Little Apple" by the locals. But Krais said the transition to her new surroundings also has gone smoothly.

"It's a much better fit for me here," she said. "It's nowhere near as crowded, not nearly as busy. You're not rushed all the time. People here are so friendly."

Since the Penn Relays are special to her, Krais may text some friends or check for results online after her races at Drake have ended.

"Growing up, that was the meet that was the stepping-stone to states," she said. "Last year was the first year I wasn't at Penn, and I can remember how awful I felt not being there. But I'm excited to be at Drake."