Year: | 2008 |
Previous College Sports Played: | Cross Country, Track & Field |
Valerie Spencer-Thompson was a five time NJCAA All-American in cross country, indoor and outdoor track field, while leading her teams to five top-10 national finishes, including three in the top-5, two region titles, and three conference championships. Spencer-Thompson earned her first All-America honor in the 1994 cross country season, placing 13th nationally, leading JCCC to a third-place finish. She also earned All-East Jayhawk Conference and All-Region VI accolades that season. During the 1995 indoor track campaign, Spencer earned All-American in the 5,000-meters and 3,000-meters, placing second and fourth respectively. She also was the region indoor champion in the 3,000-meters, and placed second in the 5,000-meters, earning All-Region honors. Outdoors that season, Spencer-Thompson set a school record in the 10,000-meters, won national and region championships in the 10,000, and was conference champion in the 5,000-meters. In addition to her All-American honor in the 10,000, Spencer also raced to a sixth-place finish outdoors in the 3,000-meters which earned her All-America accolades as well. She is one of only nine JCCC female track athletes to win a national outdoor championship, and was the first to win a title on the track. Her effort earned her team MVP honors following her sophomore campaign. As a freshman, Spencer-Thompson earned All-Region indoors in the 3,000-meters, placing third overall. She also earned All-Region during the outdoor campaign in the 10,000, placing fifth overall. She also was the East Jayhawk Conference 10,000-meter champion during the 1994 outdoor season, and placed third in the 5,000-meters, which earned her all-conference accolades. Off the track, Spencer-Thompson was part of JCCC Academic National Championship team and earned Dean’s Honor Roll and the team’s top academic performer award. Spencer-Thompson continued her career at Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University. She ran both cross country and track for both schools. Her junior year at Oklahoma State, Spencer-Thompson raced to a 47th-place at the Big 8 Cross Country Championship. As a senior at KSU, she posted a ninth-place effort in the 10,0000-meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship. Spencer-Thompson earned her degree from Kansas State University in dietetics.