The next time ISU women’s distance-runner Abby Caldwell sets a personal record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase she will also likely set the ISU record.

But she won’t do so under a new name, just a new time.

Caldwell, the current record holder, exchanged the 3,000-meter steeplechase record three times throughout the 2015 outdoor season with former ISU runner Colleen Riley.

In her ISU outdoor debut, Caldwell broke the school record in an event she had never raced before, running the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:32.43 at the Stanford Invitational on April 3, 2015, in Palo Alto, Calif.

The event includes multiple hurdles and water jumps throughout the 3,000-meter race, and Caldwell said she believes her early success is a result of her ability to get out of the water quickly. 

“The water jump is really important, and I need to get out of the water quick, so that helps me a lot,” Caldwell said. “There’s a lot of technical things that go with it, but it was kind of a natural instinct.”

Riley reclaimed the record at the Drake Relays on April 25 before Caldwell took it back at the Payton Jordan Invitational on May 2, 2015, in Palo Alto.

At the time, Caldwell was exceeding all expectations as a true freshman and “could do no wrong,” as her coach Andrea Grove-McDonough put it. 

“In many ways, here’s the sort of walk-on kid,” Grove-McDonough said. “It’s the great story, and the expectations are initially pretty low, so you kind of can do no wrong.”

While Caldwell was outperforming expectations her first year, she was also setting the bar high for her next outdoor season.

She had a successful cross-country season last fall in which she earned top-20 finishes at the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Midwest Regional. 

But then setbacks began heading into the indoor track season. 

“Coming back from Christmas Break, I had a kidney stone, and so that set back my training a little bit,” Caldwell said. “I was still being able to do all of the mileage, but I just didn’t feel that great. The races didn’t go as planned.”

For this indoor season, Grove-McDonough said she’d be happy to see Caldwell return to the level of success she reached during last year’s outdoor season. 

“That would give us some nice positive momentum, especially coming off a disappointing [indoor] season for her,” Grove-McDonough said. “[She] missed a lot [of] training dealing with some of those [health] issues. Being realistic, we’d be thrilled if we can even get her back to that level she was at, or close to it.”  

Caldwell took first place in the 2,000-meter steeplechase at the Tulsa Duels on March 19 in Tulsa, Okla., but she will get her first opportunity for the outdoor season in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Stanford Invitational this weekend. 

“We’re going to have a conservative race plan for me [at the Stanford Invitational] to get my feet wet again,” Caldwell said. “I raced in Tulsa, but it was just a [2,000-meter steeplechase]. We just want to get a solid race and are not necessarily going for a certain time.”

Caldwell is one of two current ISU athletes who owns an individual ISU outdoor track and field record. The other is Christina Hillman, who is a two-time national champion in the shot put, one indoor and one outdoor.

Caldwell’s record is also one of seven individual ISU outdoor records that have been set within the past 10 years and one of three set in the last five years. A total of 19 individual events are listed in the record book.

“I’ve definitely had some successes, but I think my setbacks and failures have helped me a lot,” Caldwell said. “At the time, they’re really frustrating, especially this past indoor season wasn’t a season anybody wanted, but I think what I learned from it is going to determine whether it was a failure or learning experience.” 

Grove-McDonough has taken notice of Caldwell’s contributions on the team, but also said she’s still learning. 

“[Caldwell] really does get the level of what we’re trying to do and she knows what’s out there now,” Grove-McDonough said.