When you break a school record, relief isn’t usually the first emotion that comes to mind, but for senior Katie Vogt, who is better known as Kat, that was how it felt to her.
“It was the first time I had run the 400 this season, so I just wanted to see where I was at,” Vogt said. “But I knew about 10 steps before the finish that it would be my fastest time.”
Vogt opened the indoor track and field season by breaking Doane’s 13-year-old, 400-meter record at the Graduate Classic on Jan. 16, then again at the Prairie Wolf Invite on Jan. 23, both meets hosted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska. After finishing last year’s indoor season with a 55.72 at nationals, she ran a 55.43 at the Graduate Classic, then lowered that time to 55.10 at the Prairie Wolf Invite.
Breaking the record had been a goal of Vogt’s for several years, but she didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
“I knew I would get there,” Vogt said. “I just didn’t know it’d be this early in the season.”
According to Vogt, the second record-breaking race felt different. Without anyone to push her, Vogt relied on a detailed race plan she created with her coach, Annika Pingel.
“I always try to have a race plan in mind,” Vogt said. “It usually builds off of the previous week’s race.”
That preparation is mostly reflected in Vogt’s training, which balances intensity and recovery. On Mondays and Thursdays, she works primarily on speed and lifting, while on Tuesdays, the primary focus is on max velocity workouts. Wednesdays are recovery days, which she often spends biking. Fridays are mostly pre-meet days, when she practices her block starts, running the curve, and executing handoffs. As a team captain, Vogt also leads team meetings before meets.
Behind Vogt’s success, however, is a strong support system, starting with her father, Brad Vogt, who also competed in track and field at Doane.
“My dad has been my biggest supporter and inspiration for my track career,” Vogt said. “I grew up hearing stories about coach Fred Beile [the previous head coach of the track and field team at Doane] and my dad’s experiences at Doane.”
Aside from her dad, her other supporters are head coach Ed Fye and Pingel for always having high expectations for her, along with her teammates, who push her to work hard at every practice.
“They are all such hard workers, and they make practice fun while pushing me to work hard,” Vogt said. “Above all, I thank God for the gift of good health and the strength he gives me to do what I love.”
In addition to being an athlete, Vogt is a mechanical and civil engineering major who is graduating this May. Balancing academics and athletics has been a challenge at times, but Vogt has found a system that works for her.
“I go to class every day and try to get as much work done as I can before practice so I can relax in the evenings and get lots of sleep,” Vogt said. “In previous years, I’d try to work ahead as much as I could on Sundays.”
With five weeks left in the indoor season, Vogt still has several goals to accomplish. She hopes to become a national champion in the 400, help her 4×400 relay team secure a national title and earn All-American honors in the 200, a distance she has previously competed in at nationals. Her individual goal is to run 54.5 or faster in the 400 before she goes into the outdoor season, where she hopes to build off of that.
But beyond the record-breaking times and the medals, Vogt says her experiences at Doane have meant something deeper.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that my athletic career at Doane has made my dreams come true,” Vogt said. “I remember when I was younger, coming to events at Doane with my dad and running around in the field house. I feel so blessed and fulfilled to know that the little girl I used to be would be so proud of what I’ve accomplished and so excited for what is to come.”
