Ex-UMKC athlete wins national title, followed by even more joy (video)

Courtney Frerichs played lots of high school sports in Nixa, Mo., then became a national-caliber distance runner at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Last June she placed second in the NCAA women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase championships, and hopes to represent the U.S. team in the event at the 2016 Olympics.

This fall Frerichs transferred to the University of New Mexico where, on Saturday, she led the Lobos to the team championship at the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Cross Country meet in Louisville, Ky.

Frerichs placed fourth in the 6,000-meter race at the meet, which featured America’s top collegiate runners, then talked about what it all meant to her.

It was a fantastic final cross country race in a senior year for a bright, outgoing young athlete (I got to know Frerichs at UMKC, where my son also ran in college).

After Frerichs and her team received their awards, Frerich’s longtime boyfriend Griffin Humphreys (also a runner at UMKC) approached.

What happened next was something that even topped having a great day at a sporting event.

Here’s how Flotrack, which covers distance running at all levels in America, captured the moment in a video:

Best of luck to Frerichs as she tries to qualify for the Olympics next year.

And, of course, best of luck to both her and Humphreys on their own long-distance race of marriage.

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Ex-UMKC athlete wins national title, followed by even more joy (video)."