Kristin Sutherland was a three-sport athlete, participating in cross country, soccer and track and field. She was the first individual female athlete at Sandburg to win a state championship twice her senior year—once for cross country and then the 3200 meter race in track. It was her first and only year that she ran track which made earning that state medal one of her biggest accomplishments. She also holds the all-time female Sandburg record for the state course at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Kristin was a four-year cross country state qualifier and a three-year All-State cross country runner, placing ninth as a sophomore, second as a junior and first as a senior. She was a two-time IHSA individual sectional champion, a three-time IHSA individual regional champion and was an individual conference champion for SICA.

She was a three-time Eagle cross country MVP and was awarded the Carl Sandburg Outstanding Female Athlete of the year her senior year, as well as the Gatorade Illinois Runner of the Year during the 2007-2008 school year.

Kristin’s accomplishments at Sandburg weren’t limited to her activities on the course or track. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta in addition to graduating with highest honors without ever missing a day of school.

After graduating from Sandburg, Kristin continued her athletic career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she ran on the cross country and track teams. She won the Newcomer of the Year Award her freshman year and was a NCAA All Big Ten in 2008 and 2009, NCAA All Regional in 2008 and 2009, and participated in the NCAA National Finals in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, she finished 41st in the nation. Kristin was also awarded three All-Academic Awards during her college tenure.

Kristin graduated from U of I with a degree in Finance. She began her career in finance and accounting at a real estate investment firm in Chicago, Heitman. After five years she realized that her passion for business, like her passion for athletics, encouraged her to accomplish more and made the switch to a technology start up, In-telligent, LLC, where she currently works as a Senior Financial Analyst.

Kristin lives in downtown Chicago and still runs almost every day. The lessons that she learned as a student-athlete at Sandburg will never leave her and keep her motivated to be the best person and athlete possible.