Co-Captain Jakob Kuelps ’25 leads Boys Cross Country through his approachability and dedication to his team. Despite battling injuries — which kept him from competing last year and at the beginning of this season — Kuelps has still served as a prominent leader on the Cross Country team. This season, he has risen as an important figure, setting up team psyches, organizing team meals, and serving as a kind and disciplined captain.
Growing up in Europe, Kuelps initially played soccer before switching to Track and Field to escape the unhealthy culture of his team. His first immersion into track was through sprinting, but during the Covid-19 lockdown, he switched from sprinting to long-distance running and has never looked back.
“I started out as a soccer player. I grew up in Europe, surrounded by a lot of soccer, so I started playing at a very young age. Around sixth or seventh grade, I stopped playing soccer because of the toxic culture that was involved on my team which was not something I wanted. I quit soccer and I did a lot of Track at school to substitute for that. I was primarily a sprinter in the 200 and 100 meters. I ran a school record in the 100-meter which was a big moment for me and I knew from that I was going to continue running Track and Field. I kept on training, but then Covid[-19] rolled around, so I started doing track on the side and then in my free time. I would go on jogs around my neighborhood. Then I started logging Strava activities. Eventually, a lot of my family friends said, ‘Hey, you should run Track, and distance specifically.’ After that I started doing distance practice instead of sprinting in the winter of my tenth grade,” said Kuelps.
Teammate Sami Tokat ’26 shared that Kuelps is both a respected role model and a positive presence in his position as Co-Captain. Not only does he hold himself to a high standard, he pushes his teammates to go even beyond that.
Tokat said, “Jakob is the prime example of leading by example. He is someone who is always there on time, always doing his stretches, always prepared, and he’s just the first person to lead us in the right direction. That’s a big part of his leadership. On top of that, he’s also very encouraging. A lot of people lead by example but some do it in a way that diminishes other people, but that’s not Jakob. Jakob is always encouraging others to do better than him and that’s what makes him such a great leader.”
Kuelps shared his love for the team aspect of Cross Country, specifically the Andover team. He noted that in Cross Country, the outcome of a meet comes down to the team’s score, helping foster a sense of teamwork.
“It makes a difference that cross country is a lot more than [an] individual sport. The team sport is what matters the most so that’s definitely something that draws me to the sport. And also, [I’ve] just been with a great group of guys and girls who all really try their best at all the practices and that’s something special about the sport… It’s something that you don’t really get in Track because Track is very individual,” said Kuelps.
Another teammate Sean Kim ’26 emphasized Kuelps’ ability to be personable and funny, while also knowing when to transition the team to a serious, focused mood. He noted how Kuelps is a tone-setter, and by showcasing his humorous side, allows others to do so as well.
“He is goofy and serious, but when he’s serious you know that the situation matters a lot. He knows how to transition between his funny side and serious side really well. His serious side really helps everyone know when we really have got to focus up. He sets what the tone is for the team, which is fun but disciplined. Since he is goofy, we can all be too,” said Kim.
When Tokat joined the team in his Junior year, he met Kuelps, then a new Lower, who exhibited leadership even in his first meet at Andover. He placed well in that race and cheered for his teammates, setting the tone for his leadership as a future Co-Captain.
Tokat said, “When I first met him, my freshman year, he was also a new Lower, meaning we were both new to the team. I remember at Manchester, our first race that season, he did exceptionally well. He placed second or third on the team. Even after the finish line, he was encouraging everybody else and he was giving his energy to everyone else even though he had just had a great race. Even despite him doing an amazing job, he was always there cheering me and all my other teammates on. This example really sums him up as a leader and how he is focused on the outcome of the team instead of just himself.”
Kuelps strives to pursue running throughout college, despite injuries in past seasons complicating the process. He is determined to accomplish this long-term goal, hoping to build a larger community within the sport, even beyond the one he has found within the Andover team.
“I plan to run collegiately. I’m a little bit unsure about how it’s gonna happen just because I will be going through the walk-on process because I got injured last winter and am still not 100 percent. I really want to compete collegiately, but obviously, that muddied the waters a little bit. Running collegiately has been a longtime dream of mine and I just want to continue being in such amazing communities that cross country fosters,” said Kuelps.
