Anna Sophia Keller Back One More Year At Notre Dame

She’s baaack!

Anna Sophia Keller loves running and she graduated from college at Notre Dame after competing for the Fighting Irish. But she’s back and ready to run again.

“After I graduated in 2021, a little after the Covid year, I went to work in Cincinnati,” said Keller. “I was working in tech sales. It was my first job experience, definitely a change of pace. I enjoyed the suburbs of Cincinnati, but I just didn’t feel like it was the career I wanted to do.

“I wanted to see if I could go back to school and find another career path I’d enjoy more. I called my coach in January to see if I had eligibility and could go back and run.

“During the fall season, I went back to watch football games at Notre Dame. We went to the Cincinnati vs. Notre Dame game. I thought I’d just run a race with the cross country team unattached just for fun. I ran really well there, my fastest on the course at the time. I was able to beat it a week ago.

“My coach said ‘let me figure a way to get you back on the team.’ We had to see what the guidelines were during the Covid year. Because of Covid they let me do it. I was able to come back and run on the team and it was a good opportunity to run again.”

As anyone who knows about Anna Sophia, knows she had a stellar career at St. Anthony High School. She ran at the State Cross Country Meet all four years, finishing first every time in 16:35, 16:27, 16:21 and 16:32. Then in track she ran the 1600 and 3200. Her freshman year she finished first in the 1600 and second in the 3200. From that point on, she won the 1600 and 3200 the next three years.

That’s when she headed to Notre Dame.

“In cross country the first meets we do are 5K, all the ones after that are 6K,” said Keller. “In indoor track I usually do the mile and the 3K but mostly the mile.

“Outdoor track I always did the 1500 and steeplechase and mainly specialized in the steeplechase.

“I like cross country meets and the fact everybody runs together and it’s one event. It’s a lot longer distance and that is my least favorite. I enjoy doing the shorter events. I’ve always done better in outdoor meets but I like indoor because it’s always going to be a good climate, no wind and no rain.”

When asked if she’s traveled a lot during her tenure at Notre Dame in meets, Keller responded.

“Most of the indoor meets were at Notre Dame because we have the largest collegiate indoor track. For cross country, they are usually in the midwest, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Virginia for outdoor track, a lot of times Louisville, Ky., North Carolina, Virginia, IU.”

How does Keller keep in shape?

“My training is so different than everyone else’s,” said Keller. “I have done a lot of random stuff because I was working. So I could do whatever I felt like. Right now, my coach and I talk about it. It does vary, usually I’ll do really hard workouts, one where I cross train and two other mini workouts.

“I do more workouts than other people. I like running harder.”

What’s her favorite?

“Probably the mile,” said Keller. “Even though I do the steeplechase.”

There’s a mystic about competing for Notre Dame and something about the beauty of the campus. 

“I didn’t get that feeling before I became a student here,” commented Keller. “I know people are obsessed with Notre Dame. When I became a student, it’s like a community. It’s incredible, the people are so friendly. Very easy to make friends. The network that you have here is amazing. A tight knot community and the beauty of the campus. I have not met anyone that didn’t like the Notre Dame experience.

“What drew me is that it is a Catholic school and I have been going to Catholic schools since kindergarten, maybe even pre-school. Just that Catholic background and standing.”

But her college running career will eventually come to an end.

“I will be graduating this year,” said Keller. “I’ll do some work for a while and then get degrees. I’ve had like five professors tell me, you go work and then come back. I’m not quite sure yet exactly the line of work I’ll have but I’m still looking into it. Like data analytic stuff and finance.”

Keller is the daughter of  Charles and Fannie Keller. She has two older brothers, Alex in the Air Force and Peter and little sister Isabella in eighth-grade. Isabella is taking after her big sister as she just qualified for the Class 1A State Cross Country Meet, running for Effingham Sacred Heart.