American Falls School District #381

POCATELLO, Idaho- Running track at the collegiate level was always a goal for American Falls native Kodee Vining. To accomplish that goal Vining needed a little help. That help came from Idaho State Track and Field Coach Hillary Merkley.

"I wasn't heavily recruited," Vining said. "Most coaches I talked to said I needed to be a little faster to be recruited at the next level and get a scholarship. I wanted to stay close to home and try to compete at ISU. I talked to coach Hillary and she gave me a chance to walk on."

Vining had his opportunity and he has maximized the moment since his arrival at Idaho State in 2017.

Getting to where he is now as a senior leader with a scholarship wasn't easy.

"It is intimidating being a walk-on," Vining said. "Every day you have to show up and prove yourself. My first year was tough but it was a lot of fun. My indoor season I didn't make the conference team. A big goal of mine was to make the conference team for outdoors and I made the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relay teams." 
 
Vining added that when you are a walk-on there is always pressure.

"You need to prove that you belong and earn your spot," he said. "I knew I wasn't always going to be the fastest or the best but what I knew I could do was try and be the hardest working one, work as hard as I could and give that effort that I could get better every day."

 That effort has produced improved results each year. After his freshman season Vinings marks have steadily improved and he's qualified for the Big Sky Conference championships in indoor and outdoor every year since his freshman season.

In the 2019 indoor championships he placed sixth at the Big Sky Conference meet and the 4 x 100 relay team finished fourth with a time of 41.34 seconds at the 2021 outdoor conference championships.

In the Mountain States games that was Feb. 11-12, Vining ran a PR of 6.94 seconds in the 60 and 21.71 seconds in the 200m. Both times were also Top 10 marks in program history.

"The last meet is one of my favorites because it was my last indoor meet as a Bengal," Vining said. "I always really loved running on this track and to have a really good meet and run some PR's that I have wanted to have for a long time was really special."

Vining credits the faith Merkley had in him when she allowed the American Falls sprinter to walk on  

"The biggest thing was she saw the potential in me before I saw the potential in myself," Vining said of his head coach. "She said you can run these times and you can do this. You just have to believe in yourself and know that you can and do the work in practice."

 Vining also credits his improved times to his work in the weight room.

"The thing that made the biggest difference to me was getting stronger in the weight room," Vining said. "In the summer my friend and I would go lift at Reed during the summer. My goal every summer was to get stronger in my lifts so I could take that strength and transfer it out onto the track."

Vining will leave Idaho State with an undergrad degree in biology with an ecology and conservation biology emphasis. He is currently working on a master's degree in geographic information systems. He said he wants to work as a habitat biologist for Fish and game and as a GIS analyst or technician.

But for right now Vining is going to focus on finishing his final outdoor season on a high-note.

"It is my last season," Vining said. "I have been trying to make the most of it in working hard and achieving some of the goals I have been working towards throughout my years here."

More importantly, Vining will have the opportunity to compete in front of his family and friends one last time when the Bengals host the Bengal Invitational April 29-30 and the Big Sky Conference Outdoor Championships May 11-14. 
 
"One of my favorite things when I get done running or I am about to run is to look up in the stands and there is a whole group of people there cheering for me," Vining said. "It means a lot to me, not just having them there but seeing how much they enjoy seeing me be successful. It makes me enjoy it even more."

And that success can be traced back to the opportunity he received coming out of high school from the Idaho State coaching staff.