3/20/2018
Kara Kinard wrapped up seventh season in charge of Pacer cross country in 2017.
In 2017, Kinard guided the program to three top-10 finishes, including a season-best third-place effort at the Pacer Invitational. Her squad garnered a top-10 finish at the PBC Championship for the first time since 2011. Junior Bethany Fordham led the program in each of the races and also competed at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
The 2016 squad garnered three top-10 finishes, including a season-best fifth-place finish at the Augusta Invitational. Fordham led the way in every race for the Pacers.
In 2015, Kinard led the team to a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place effort.
She led the team to the best finish in the program’s history as the squad won the USC Aiken Invitational by claiming the top five positions in 2014. Kinard's team recorded four top-10 finishes on the season.
Kinard guided the Pacers to a memorable season in 2013, registering four top-five finishes and another top-10 effort. She guided Keely Gillespie to all-conference and all-region accolades while completing her career as the most dominant runner in school history.
Kinard coached Gillespie to the top three 5k times in school history and the top-five 6k times in the program's history while claiming three individual championships.
USC Aiken closed out its second season under Kinard in 2012 having finished in the top-10 in three out of its five meets.
The best finish of the year for USC Aiken came by USC Aiken winning the 5K Francis Marion Invitational on Sept. 14 at the Freedom Florence Recreational Complex.
The team victory was the first for the Pacers since claiming the team title at the Siemens Technologies/USCB Invitational in 2007. USC Aiken now has four team meet victories in program history.
Gillespie picked up her first career individual meet win in the Francis Marion Invitational. Gillespie would go on to set USC Aiken’s new 6K mark by claiming a time of 23:24.2 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte. For her efforts, Gillespie was tabbed to the all-Southeast region team for the first time in her career.
Kinard's first year as the head of the Pacers in 2011 was a successful one.
The Pacers hosted the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Cross Country Championship at Pacer Path. USC Aiken finished eighth in the competition and would go on to finish 25th at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Gillespie led the way for the Pacers by finishing 14th at the PBC Championship. She earned All-Conference laurels via her 14th-place finish.
USC Aiken athletic director Randy Warrick announced in March of 2011 that Kreutzer had been appointed as the new Pacer head women’s cross country coach.
Warrick noted at the time of Kreutzer’s addition that "She has been a part of a great cross country program at Augusta State and she will bring good knowledge and experience as a former collegiate runner to USC Aiken.”
Previously Kinard spent a year as a student assistant coach for the men's and women's cross country teams. A December 2010 graduate of Augusta State with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, Kinard ran cross country and track for the PBC institution.
Kinard was consistently a top five scorer for the Jaguar cross country program under the direction of Adam Ward. Kinard claimed all-academic honors in 2007 and 2008, while also being named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll after the 2007-08 athletic year. Kinard was also a member of Augusta State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee all four years.
An extremely well-rounded individual, Kinard was a member of many other organizations during her time at Augusta State. She was a member of the Biology Club, the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society and the Chemistry Club. Kreutzer was also a Student Ambassador Board member and a member of the Iota Pi Chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma.
Through the years, Kinard has participated in several mission trips and has been the road race director for multiple causes.
In February of 2010, she was the charity road race director for the Glazes of Glory 5K. The event benefited the Make-A-Wish foundation. Last summer, she was the road race director for the Grassroots series, which benefited the Augusta State cross country teams.
Still an avid runner, Kinard continues to run half marathons, marathons, half Ironman competitions in addition to road races.
In May of 2014, Kinard earned her Master's in clinical psychology from USC Aiken.
Kinard, formerly Kreutzer, was married May 7, 2016.
