Pacha earns All-American status

When the 2021 high school track and field season ended, Fairfields Kelsey Pacha didn’t take a break.

The Trojan junior has been making noise at events nationwide, and she just had one of her biggest scores last week in Texas.

Pacha competed in the 17-18-year-old women's heptathlon at the AAU Junior Olympic and ended her summer campaign by earning All-American status with an eighth-place finish last weekend.

Pacha was the only Iowan among the nearly 50 entrants in the field. The event took place over two days, Saturday and Sunday.

The Trojan star scored 4,193 points to finish eighth. The national champion was Ariel Pedigo of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who scored 5,493 points, which was 763 points higher than second place and a new national record.

Pacha scored 2,621 on the first day of the heptathlon and was sitting in eighth after the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.

Pacha’s biggest scoring event was the 100-meter hurdles. The Iowa 100-meter hurdle finalist crossed the tape in 15.38 seconds, scoring 791 points. That was ninth-best in the field.

Pacha’s top finish was actually in a throwing event. She launched the shot put 32 feet, 6½ inches for fourth place overall.

Pacha will be entering her senior year of high school this fall. In the spring, she and the Trojan girls track and field team will look to continue their success after taking 15th place at the Class 3A meet in 2021.