In her eighth grade year, Elaine Kaster, senior neuroscience major, joined the cross country team to avoid getting put in a P.E. class. While Kaster had previously participated in several other sports, she thought the idea of running as a sport sounded terrible — so much so that she did not show up to practices. Then, in her first year of high school, her algebra teacher, who was also the cross country coach, saw her running in P.E. and convinced her to come to a cross country meeting.

“I was there to be nice to her. I still thought running sounded terrible. [The coach] gave me a training plan, and I thought, ‘I’ll do it for a little bit but then I’m gonna quit.’ Then I got through the summer, I was like, ‘Oh, well, I did all this summer training. I might as well show up to practice now.’ I went to practice fully intending on quitting. Made it through a week, [and thought], ‘I’ll keep going’ and here I am,” Kaster said.

Although she said that she continued to dislike the sport itself, she fell in love with her high school team — a deep connection that she said has also developed with the Trinity cross country and track and field teams.

“I had played other sports before, and I guess I hadn’t found a team that felt like family as much as my cross-country high school team did,” Kaster said. “I did not think I could run in college, … so then, when I was contacted by the coaches at Trinity, I was kind of thrown because I realized it was opening a door for me that I didn’t know existed for me. I went on an overnight recruiting trip, and I had a blast and realized that I could continue being with a community like I had in high school, which is something I didn’t realize was an option.”

Certainly, Kaster’s cross-country and track journey has presented her with challenges, especially navigating through the initial COVID shutdown in March 2020. After only one outdoor meet, all Trinity students were sent home, but the team members continued their workouts individually in anticipation of returning back before the end of the semester.

“[COVID] was tough. I think the only thing that kept us going was we kept having hope that soon we get to be back together as a team,” Kaster said. “We would eventually realize that we were going to have many, many months of on-your-own runs. … It taught me a lot but it made me a lot more mentally strong because I would have never thought I could go that long of running that many miles on my own.”

After her restricted sophomore year, Kaster flourished in her junior year, setting personal records for events in both her sports. She credits her success to the strong culture of Trinity long-distance runners and specifically to Abby Blackwood, a graduate student who stayed to run with the team, and Brianna “Bri” Ratliff, an alumna serving as an assistant coach at the time.

Ratliff assisted with setting the pace of a five-kilometer race at the University of Incarnate Word in spring 2022, helping Kaster reach an unexpected personal record and creating one of her favorite memories.

“I was expecting [Ratliff] pace me for about half of it; I think that’s what we planned on, or maybe even just the first mile. But … she kept pushing me and kept picking up the pace and I kept hanging on because I was just like, ‘I don’t want to lose her. It’ll be easier if I’m with her,’” Kaster said. “And then she realized I was hanging on [and] she ran, I think, the entire thing with me until the last 200 [meters]. Then she just started yelling at me like, ‘Go, go, go’. And so that was the time that I broke 18 minutes in the 5K.”

Now, in her senior season and as one of the fastest long-distance runners on the track team, Kaster said her goals reach beyond her performance as an athlete. She said she wants to really soak in her final season of running.

“I really want to kind of get everything I possibly can out of my last season, getting to be with the team for the last few months … instead of really stressing about my race[s]. I really just want to cheer people on and enjoy it a lot,” Kaster said. “Of course I would love to PR this season, … but my main goal for the season is really to just enjoy it and embrace this last season.”

In addition to being a leader on the course and on the track, Kaster is pursuing a neuroscience degree, inspired by her mom having surgery on her spinal cord when Kaster was in high school.

“I think that sort of was the first moment that my eyes opened up to the power of medicine and the power of what it can do for families,” Kaster said. “And while the surgery didn’t have to do with the brain, the nervous system as a whole fascinated me since then. So all throughout high school, any sort of projects I could do, I did neuroscience-related projects. … So I love the idea of getting to study it in college.”

Eventually, Kaster will apply for medical school, but until then, she will continue to work in the medical field in some capacity. Kaster will also continue volunteering with local organizations that provide programs for San Antonio’s unhoused community, specifically individuals struggling with substance abuse. As Kaster’s senior year and final track season come to a close, she reflects on what her experience as a Trinity athlete has taught her.

“I sort of realized that if you’re passionate about something, you should just pursue it. I think I used to have this mindset of, ‘Oh, well, that’s not meant for me. I’m not good at that. Oh, that’s not something I’ve really done before. I’m not going to pursue that.’ But now I feel like I’ve pursued both athletics and academics,” Kaster said. “I think I [also] realized the importance of supporting your teammates, and … embracing that community. That’s something I feel very privileged to get to be a part of. … So I’m very grateful to have had this community with me all four years.”