Kaila Cramer joins the Crusaders cross country and track & field staff for her sixth season with Capital.
During her tenure as a long distance coach, Cramer helped her athletes rewrite both the men’s and women’s cross country top-20 lists. Derek Knabe became Cap’s fastest 5k runner in 2017 behind a time of 15:59.04. Alex Hansel overtook the number-two spot (16:43.00) in 2019 as a freshman, and fellow first-year Zach Brown entered the top-5 in the 5k that same year. Hansel also turned in the second-best 8k time after timing out at 25:50.3 with two others entering the top-10 in 2019.
Cramer coached Mackenzie Meyers to a personal-best 24:02.00 (6k) and a first-place finish at the Columbus State / Capital Invitational in 2017. Meyers ended her career in the top-5 of Cap’s best 5k times and number six in the 6k (23:31.0).
On the track and field circuit, multiple Capital top-10 spots were rearranged since 2016. Hannah Westhoven ’17 found her way into the top-5 in multiple events including indoor 1,000 meters, indoor one-mile, indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters, outdoor 1,500 meters, outdoor 5,000 meters, and is the Capital record holder in the 10,000-meter run. Derek Knabe ‘18 ranks third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and rose to number two in both the men’s indoor one mile and 1,000 meters.
Cramer, a former cross country and track & field standout at Otterbein, compiled a stellar career in her time as a Cardinal. In cross country, she earned first and second team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, while also being named All-Region and an Academic All-American.
In addition, Cramer also received All-OAC accolades for indoor and outdoor track & field, while also being named All-Ohio during the indoor season and qualifying for the NCAA Nationals in the 1500-meter dash. She is also currently a three-time record holder at Otterbein (600-meter dash, 1500-meter dash, and one mile run).
Prior to arriving at Capital, Cramer graduated with a degree in Sport Management from Otterbein, having worked as an Athletic Administration intern at Denison University.
She currently works as a fit specialist at Fleet Foot running store and is a VIP Coordinator and Registration Assistant with Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon/Half-Marathon.
