SEATTLE, Wash. - Seattle U track and field have officially signed Kristina Shkalenkova, with plans to have Shkalenkova debut this outdoor track season.
"The team and coaching staff are thrilled to welcome Kristina to the Redhawk track & field family!" said Assistant Coach Jordana LeSavage. "She is an incredible young lady that holds a lot of potential. Kristina's experiences are admirable and a result of her perseverance and diligence. I am confident she will make a positive impact academically and athletically while at Seattle University."
Shkalenkova was born and raised in St. Petersburg, and then moved to Kiel, Germany to attend Studienkolleg an der Fachhochschule Kiel in 2019.
Shkalenkova is a very skilled middle distance runner, holding personal bests of 2:14.19 in the 800m and 58.35 in the 400m. Additional accolades for Shkalenkova include a third place finish at the St. Petersburg U20 Championships in the 800m, as well as an 11th place finish in the 400m.
In addition to being a great athlete, Shkalenkova also holds her own in the classroom, as she held a 3.89 GPA at Studienkolleg an der Fachhochschule Kiel, as well as graduating from high school with honors.
When asked why she wants to compete in college in America, Shkalenkova said "College in America has the highest level of competition for university students. I want to be in a very competitive environment where I will be surrounded by hard-working people, who will motivate me to become the best version of myself" American colleges have all the conditions for training. I'd like to get my higher education in the environment which allows to combine studies and training."
Shklanekova will major in business administration while at Seattle U, with career aspirations of being a business owner. Besides running, Shklanekova's hobbies include learning different languages, as she is fluent in English and German, and figure skating.