Finding Her Stride
Nick Gruber
Kaiya Robertson grew up as an athlete. She played soccer, basketball, and ice hockey, but it wasn’t until eighth grade that she stepped onto the track for the first time.
In every sport she played, Robertson was always the fastest on the team. In soccer, she was a midfielder; in basketball, plays were designed for her to outrun her opponent and score. So it came as little surprise when she found early success as a runner.
“In middle school, I ran pretty fast times in my races even though I hadn’t trained much at all,” Robertson said. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, you’re pretty good at this,’ and as soon as the high school coach saw that, he said, ‘You’re doing cross country.’”
Robertson grew up in Oregon and attended Franklin High School in Portland. The coach who spotted her potential was Jacob Michaels, a 20-year veteran of the track and cross country community.
“If I hadn’t been coached by him in high school, I wouldn’t have run. He’s the one that just plucked me out of middle school track and saw my potential as a distance runner. He’s one of the most passionate coaches I’ve ever had. He puts so much time into the sport.”Kaiya Robertson
At first, distance running was far from enjoyable.
“My first time doing it, it was not fun,” she said. “It’s really painful. In my opinion, the longer the distance, the harder it is.”
Despite her initial hesitation, Robertson grew to love the sport and found herself thriving in it. As a freshman, she was already running times that would make her a candidate for college programs.
By her senior year, Robertson was debating whether running was something she wanted to pursue at the next level.
“I had four teammates come to Boise to run,” said Robertson. “A lot of times people come out of high school to run in college and their bodies get destroyed and you’re always injured. But since I had seen people that I knew succeed at Boise State, I knew it was a good bet to come here.”
After committing to Boise State, her transition to running at the Division I level went well, but wasn’t perfect.
“I definitely knew that I made the right decision, but I was having to make a lot of decisions for myself that, looking back, weren’t the best. But I think everyone needs to have that experience for one year. Outside of running, I felt super at home when I got here. I had such a good teammate class coming in and it’s a great place to live. There were ups and downs with running, but I was able to find my rhythm quickly.”
Helping ease that transition was one of her former high school teammates and best friends, Autumn Ost, who has supported Robertson throughout her collegiate career.
As a freshman, Robertson contributed both on the cross country course and the track. She competed in both the indoor and outdoor track seasons, and in two cross country races. One of those races was the NCAA West Regionals, where she secured a top-50 finish.
Her sophomore year showed solid improvement, particularly as a cross country runner. Robertson raced in five of the team’s six meets, finishing as the top Bronco in two of them. She also earned All-Mountain West Cross Country Second Team honors after placing 10th in the women’s 6K.
On the track, she earned a bronze medal in the indoor mile at the MW Championships while also setting what was then the third-fastest indoor mile time in program history.
Heading into her junior year, however, came a major change.
The Broncos announced a coaching change, a challenge for any athlete in any sport.
Some on the team entered the transfer portal, while others, including Robertson, committed to staying.
“At the time, we didn’t know who the new coach was going to be, but there were some people on the team I was really close with, and we knew we couldn’t leave,” Robertson said “We were in this together.”
On June 3, 2024, the new head coach was announced: Pat McCurry. McCurry, who previously served as an assistant for the Broncos from 2016-18, returned with 15 years of collegiate head coaching experience and a loaded résumé. At the time, he had coached athletes to 21 U.S. Championship/Olympic Trials qualifiers, five Olympic/World Championship qualifiers, 14 NAIA national champions, and 11 NCAA national championship qualifiers.
As McCurry built his new staff, he brought on Emma Wren as associate head coach for cross country and track and field. Together, they began leading the distance group, including Robertson.
With the new coaches came a new training style, one Robertson has embraced.
“Our training is more structured, and they’ve allowed me to better understand my training, particularly the physiological effects of what we’re doing,” said Robertson. “I can’t say enough about them, knowing that they’re there for us with training and outside of training is really helpful.”
For McCurry, it didn’t take long to see Robertson’s talent.
“It was obvious after about two training sessions with Kaiya that she is the real deal. I’ve been fortunate to coach athletes at the highest levels, including Olympians and World Championships competitors. Kaiya has every bit of the tools those athletes possess. She has the rare mix of great endurance, strong leg speed and efficient mechanics.”Boise State Track & Field and Cross Country Head Coach Pat McCurry
In addition to a new training schedule, Robertson adopted a new mentality. She entered her junior year more locked in than ever, with her sights set on competing at national meets.
“Going into the cross season, I had decided I was going to make nationals,” she said. “I knew that if I put my head down and genuinely worked for it, I could achieve it.”
That confidence was clear in her results early in the 2024 cross country season. Robertson placed third and fourth in her first two meets. She followed with personal bests in the 5K at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (16:15.1) and the 6K at the Arturo Barrios Invitational (19:19.5).
Her continued success added to her confidence, but she remained focused on staying grounded.
“Cross country and distance running is so mental,” she said. “One good race can definitely build on to the next one, but you also need to be able to have a clean slate for every race.”
Much of her motivation comes from her teammates, as well as an internal focus on gratitude.
“I rely a lot on my teammates because I know they are all pushing through with me,” Robertson said. “In the moment, I am also grateful to be able to push myself. On the start line I think of the small things that can be taken for granted. I have two working legs and I get to run, things that some people can’t do.”
As she moved into the postseason, Robertson’s performances continued to impress. At the MW Championships, she placed third in a 90-runner field.
At the NCAA West Regional, she had her chance to secure the goal she had set months earlier. To advance, the team needed to finish top two, or she needed to be one of the top four individual finishers not on a qualifying team.
The latter came true. Robertson placed ninth, earning all-region honors and a spot at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
“It sounds so cocky, but I wasn’t surprised,” she said. “I was so excited to qualify, but in a sense, this is what I expected. It’s what I was training for all year.”
At nationals, Robertson finished 53rd among 254 competitors, the best finish for any Bronco since 2022.
“I really tried to focus on taking it all in and making the most of the experience," said Robertson. "I’m a nerd about the sport, so racing at one of the most iconic cross country courses (the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Wisconsin) was so cool. I’ve watched so many races of other people running on that course. I obviously also wished that we could have been going to the national meet as a team, but hopefully we can do that this season.”
Her cross country success carried over to both the indoor and outdoor track seasons. During the indoor season, she set a program record in the mile (4:33.69) and helped the Broncos’ distance medley relay team win gold at the MW Championships.
The outdoor season came with another NCAA appearance, this time in the 1,500-meter on the track.
“I was really shocked and surprised when I crossed the finish line at the NCAA preliminary round,” Robertson said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
McCurry was also impressed with her qualifying performance.
“Her performance on the second day of the NCAA preliminary round was among the most poised I’ve seen from an athlete,” McCurry said. “It was new territory, but she was able to dial in on the plan and execute impeccably.”
For those following throughout the season, the qualification may not have been much of a surprise. Robertson set the fourth-fastest 800-meter time (2:04.31) and the top 1,500m time (4:10.15) in program history. She earned silver in the 800m and gold in the 1,500m at the MW Championships.
Naturally, her high-level success and the way she carries herself has made her someone younger athletes look up to.
“Kaiya brings so much to our team. To have an athlete of elite talent that does all the little things right, brings a smile to training every day, engages with all of her teammates and loves competing is invaluable. I think the joy she shows on race day is her biggest contribution as a leader for us.”Pat McCurry
As Robertson turns the page to the 2025 cross country season and beyond, her goals remain high.
“We really want to make cross country nationals as a team,” she said. “It’s going to be really tough, but we want to show Coach Pat and Emma that all the work they put into us will show. Personally, I want to run at nationals again either way.”
The Broncos are set for one of their biggest regular-season meets of the year at the Joe Piane Invitational, Oct. 3, in South Bend, Indiana, a race that Robertson finished sixth in 2024. Bronco fans traveling to watch the Boise State football game that weekend can also support the cross country team at the Burke Golf Course on Notre Dame’s campus. Admission is free for fans.