COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Cole Stencel entered this school year hoping to take a few steps forward.
 
But even he didn't expect to cover this much ground this fast.
 
"It's been an unexpected leap, that's for sure," the Saint John's junior cross country and track and field standout said. "I had goals, but I've definitely surpassed them by a large extent. It's been a year filled with unexpected blessings.
 
"There's no way I thought I'd get anywhere close to how far I've come."
 
The success started last fall in cross country when Stencel, a Maple River High School graduate, placed fourth at the MIAC meet in a personal-best time of 25 minutes and 25 seconds over the eight-kilometer course. 
 
He then placed 23rd out of 214 runners at the NCAA Division III North Regional meet to earn his first trip to nationals.
 
That momentum carried over into the indoor season in track and field, where he earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish in the mile at the Division III national meet in March, making him the first SJU distance runner to earn All-American status since 2008.
 
He's kept building through the outdoor portion of the schedule, highlighted by his performance at last weekend's MIAC meet at St. Olaf, when he won both the 1,500 (3:51.31) and 5,000 (14:27.19) meter runs – making him the first Johnnie runner to sweep both events since Chris Erichsen in 2007.
 
All told, that gave him four indoor or outdoor individual conference titles this spring, and he's been part of four school records (three individually and one relay) as well.
 
"I think the biggest thing is being able to stay consistent," said Stencel, who battled a stress reaction in his left tibia that forced him to miss the indoor season in track and field as a freshman and dealt with intermittent shin issues as a freshman and sophomore as well. "I've been able to stay injury free all year, and for a distance runner, that's huge. I also tend to get sick more easily than other people, but that hasn't really happened either.
 
"I've been able to keep my training at a constant, high level and get really good mileage under my belt. That all stacks up."
 
Stencel's win in the 5,000 was especially impressive because it meant defeating the pre-meet favorite, St. Olaf senior Kevin Turlington, on his home track. 
 
Turlington ended up placing second in a time of 14:31.95.
 
"That was pretty special," Stencel said. "He's been racing at a high level in this conference since I got here. Every runner in the conference knows who Kevin Turlington is. I felt like I was getting close to being in range of competing with him. But I didn't know I was there yet. I tried to lock in right behind him at the start and stick with him stride-for-stride. 
 
"Suddenly, at the end, I was able to kick it in and come out on top."
 
But SJU head cross country coach Maxwell Kuzara '17, who is also the assistant coach in charge of distance runners in track and field, said such performances don't come by accident.
 
"He was unbeaten at both our indoor and outdoor conference meets this year, beating some really good runners from other schools in the MIAC," Kuzara said. "But besides the results and accolades, how he's carried himself on and off the track – and his dedication to the sport – has been a great example for the rest of our team. Cole does everything right, and what may look like a big leap this year is really the result of three years of healthy, consistent training."
 
That dedication extends beyond running. Stencel – a physics major on a pre-engineering track who earned U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic recognition last fall – is a regular on the dean's list and is involved in SJU Campus Ministry as well.
 
"They really encourage you to get involved in the community here and that's a good thing," Stencel said. "Campus life makes up such a big part of the college experience. I've met so many people who I know are going to be my friends for a lifetime.
 
"I feel really comfortable here," he continued. "There's a big sense of belonging. There's a lot of one-on-one time with the faculty. If I have a question, I feel like I can go to any of my professors and talk it over with them. That means a lot."
 
Stencel hopes to one day pursue a career in the mechanical engineering field, an ambition he said springs from his father Jay, a civil engineering instructor at South Central College in Mankato.
 
"That's how I first got acquainted with the field and the concepts," he said. "He was the one who told me to check out the kind of jobs that are available and everything engineering entails. The more I got to know about it, the more it appealed to me."
 
Stencel's mother Stephanie is an occupational hand therapist. But the family also runs a farm located just south of Mapleton on which they raise cattle, goats and chicken and do their own butchering. 
 
Stencel and his siblings – older brother Will, 25, who works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a botanist, and younger sister Sophia, a sophomore at Maple River – pitch in on many of the chores.
 
"It's a true family effort," Stencel said. "We all enjoy it and I don't know what we'd do without it.
 
"There's a definitely a high work ethic," he added. "That's what we all grew up with and it continues to this day. When we were younger, it might have been an expectation. Now it's just who we are."
 
Stencel is now hoping that work ethic translates into a berth in the NCAA Division III outdoor meet. His best time in the 1,500 (3:49.71) ranks 28th nationally in Division III this season. The top 22 runners in each individual event qualify for nationals, which are scheduled for May 21-24 in La Crosse, Wis. 
 
But Stencel and his Johnnie teammates will be in La Crosse today (May 14) for a last-chance qualifier, giving him one last chance to move up.
 
"(Making outdoor nationals) would be an amazing way to end a great year," said Stencel, who will intern in the mechanical department at ISG, an architecture and engineering firm in Mankato, this summer.
 
"It won't be easy, but I'm hoping to shave off a few seconds and get it done."