T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING - East Marshall senior Mkenzie Robinson, seated center, recently signed to run cross country at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone. Pictured with Robinson at her signing ceremony are her parents Alison and Michael Robinson, seated, and East Marshall girls’ cross country coach Trent Taylor.

LE GRAND — After a steady progression and improvement in her final three years as an East Marshall cross country runner, Mustang senior Mkenzie Robinson made official her next landing spot: Des Moines Area Community College.

Robinson held a small ceremony at East Marshall High School Monday to commemorate the signing, which she said was a natural step after still having the itch to run in college.

“It feels good that everything is set in stone,” Robinson said. “I definitely wanted to run next year and further my career, but I didn’t really know where to get started.”

In four seasons as a cross country runner for the Mustangs, Robinson made continued improvements and leaps in her ability as a competitor.

Not qualifying for the state meet as a freshman, Robinson arrived at Fort Dodge first as a competitor in 2020 as a junior alongside teammate Ellie Hull. Robinson finished 45th in the event at the first time of asking, and the attempt seemed to give her more motivation heading into her senior season.

Qualifying for state again as an individual, Robinson bested her previous attempt at state and ran a career-best time of 20 minutes, 24.25 seconds, and finished in 26th place to improve 19 spots on last year’s efforts.

Head coach Trent Taylor said the way Robinson has worked at her craft and learned to love the sport shows how much she’s earned this opportunity.

“She loves to run,” Taylor said. “I’ve been having conversations with her family since she was in middle school and have had the opportunity to watch her run now for six years, and she’s made huge improvements. I can see her having a rewarding experience.

“If you see somebody that’s developed a love for the sport like she has and wants to do it after high school, that’s just icing on the cake.”

Robinson plans on studying sports medicine and hopes to become a dietician, which she will get a start on while at DMACC. She said one of the things she likes about DMACC is how the school has a set-up workout for every athlete and a way for each athlete to get the best out of their individual plan.

First, though, she has a spring season of track and field to complete. She runs in the 1,500 and 3,000 meter runs and is excited to have a clear head and not have to worry about where she’ll be next year.

“Then I can focus more on that season,” Robinson said. “I don’t think it could have ended any better than how it has.”