Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 19, 2016

"It’s not your race that you’ll remember, it’s the memories." – Coach Bo

Well this is it! Most of us finished our 2016 track season this past weekend in Rome, Georgia, at the NCCAA Championships. We took 5th place overall with only thirteen of our 40 girls!

Highlights: Carsyn won the 800 meters & 1500 meters and received the Female Athlete of the Meet award! Olivia took 3rd in the 800 meters. Sarah Hoffman & Hailey Bredeson took 4th & 5th in the 1500 meters. Lyndsey took 8th in the 400 meters with a new college PR! Senior captain, Kristen Laaman, took 8th in the 10K after battling injuries for over a year. It was her last college race… Kat Sill also ran her last college race in the 5K. Kayla Casaletto took 2nd in the steeplechase with a new PR (so close to being named a National Champion but she still has three more years)! Nicole Perez ran the steeplechase for us as well, didn’t PR, but still took 7th place! We took 6th in the 4 x 400 and would have won the 4 x 800 with Carly, Sarah, Liv, and Carsyn but we weren’t able to run it because Carly sprained her ankle the night before…We still have next year though!

In the field events, Tiera Martinelli took 5th in pole vault! And Mariah Cruise - only a sophomore - took 3rd in shot put and 4th in discus…looks like a future National Champion in the making. Also, shout out to freshman Jaylynn LaFlamme who competed in her first-ever heptathlon - which is a total of 7 events in less than 24 hours…Wow, girl! The rest of us can barely do one or two.

Senior Advice: After the end of prelims on Friday, Kat & Kristen shared their two cents with the team. These words from Kristen stood out to me the most: "Enjoy the challenging parts of track, because one day it’ll be over." This really jumped out at me because so often I dread racing because of the pain I know I will feel during the race and the nerves that come beforehand, but Kristen is so right, someday the challenges that come along with college track will be over. These challenges are what make track what it is and I hope I can appreciate them more next year. Thanks Kristen :) and we’ll miss you and Kat a ton next year!

Mini-Bus Malfunction: So on the way home from the meet, we had a little bit of a haul up. We left Georgia around 8:00 p.m. Most of us were hoping to fall asleep on the bus and wake up in our beds in Cedarville. But the CU Athletic Bus had other plans. The more hills we went up, the less the bus cooperated. Until finally, at 1:00 a.m., it gave up. Without hesitation, we had team members from the other van hop out and push us over half a mile down the road. We were definitely cruising as our track legs came in handy! We landed at the nearest gas station as our coaches came up with a game plan. Next thing we knew the Cedarville Athletic Bus was being towed away and several police cars showed up to escort us to the nearest Waffle House. It turned out Waffle House was packed so we decided to head to Denny’s.

Bowens Bail Us Out: Meanwhile, a member of the men’s team called his parents to let them know what was going down. Graciously, they were awake and offered to help us if needed. Well we definitely needed it. So coach arranged for them to grab a couple University vans (shout out to campus safety for the 24-hour service!) and drive 2-3 hours to where we were stranded. What a relief! Until then, we decided to send a van full of people home while the rest of us waited at Denny’s. Carsyn and I came up with the list of people to send home, not putting ourselves on it was probably the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but we decided to send the top ten people on the team who either looked like were dying most, were too angry to function, or had long drives home after we got back to Cedarville.

5 o’clock Somewhere: The rest of the team and coaches ordered breakfast & coffee to keep us awake as we waited for Mr. and Mrs. Bowen to rescue us! I can speak for the team and say that somehow everything became super funny but I couldn't even tell you a single thing that was said during those hours. Also congratulations to everyone on the team who pulled their first all-nighter! And a HUGE thank you to Zac's parents. We finally made it back to Cedarville at 8:00 a.m.

Thoughts to Take Away: On a serious note, our coaches have always instilled in us from day one that there are certain things in life that are beyond our control. We can’t control injuries, setbacks, bad weather, our opponents, or ultimately what God has planned for us, but what we can control is our attitude and our effort during everything we face. They’ve taught us to always be able to walk away from the track knowing we gave 100% effort but then leave the rest up to God. And they’ve taught us that our attitude says everything about who we are. We really do have the best coaches, not only have they built one of the best track & field programs around, but they handle unfortunate situations like this bus breakdown, with wisdom and an attitude that honors God.

Dynamic Duo: So while the rest of us are finished with the season and on to summer training, Liv & Carsyn are still at it. They’re both headed down to Florida at the end of month to race at NCAA DIVISION II NATIONALS!!!!! Stay tuned as these two make school history yet again…




May 10, 2016

What is it like to be teammates with Carsyn Koch?

So a lot has been written, posted, and shared on my teammate, Carsyn, since her last race in Palo Alto, California…but if you haven’t heard: Carsyn became the fastest 800 meter runner in NCAA Division II history. Not only that, Carsyn hit the qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic Trials. If her time ends up ranked in the Top 32, Carsyn will compete among the top runners in the country for a place on the U.S. Olympic track team. The trials will take place in July; the Olympics take place this August in Brazil.

So what is it like to have a teammate who is training for something so much bigger than a college race? Well, first of all it’s an honor, but second of all… if I’m being completely honest, the longer I’m around Carsyn, the more I forget how good she really is. Why? Because of her humility. If you’ve had a chance to talk to her, you know what I mean, but if you haven’t, keep reading.

I just want to brag on Carsyn a bit. This past weekend, after a week of sleep deprivation and seven finals during exam week, she chose to ride along with the team up to Toledo for our last meet before Christian nationals. Here’s the thing, though, Carsyn wasn’t even competing because she’s already hit all the qualifying times she needs for the championship meets we have left. (Our coach allows us to stay home if we aren’t competing because he understands it’s a lot to wait around at a track meet all day! And he knows we’re busy college students – thanks for being awesome and understanding, Coach :)

So not only did Carsyn come to watch, but she was the loudest supporter any of us had in our races, besides maybe our coaches – but they’re pretty loud. Anyways, Carsyn was running around the whole meet, braiding the girls’ team’s hair, taking care of the team’s food, timing splits, and just being the most selfless person there. She was even starting to lose her voice.

This is just one example, but I can think of many times throughout the season, where Carsyn went out of her way to encourage me – whether it was after a disappointing race, or when I got bad news about my mom. She was the first person on the team to give me a hug. It’s the small things she does that really stand out.

With all this being said, Carsyn is truly someone I look up to and desire to be like. Not just because of her dedication and hard work on the track, but because of the person she is and how she treats those around her. So the next time you see Carsyn’s name on social media or in the news, don’t remember her just for her accomplishments on the track, think of the person she is and the attitude she has.

When I think of her attitude, it reminds me an awful lot of the attitude Jesus took on when he came to earth. Check out Philippians 2:5-11:

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mind set as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Just as Jesus - being God himself - considered himself nothing and became obedient to death on a cross, Carsyn, having every right in the eyes of the world to be proud and focused on all of her amazing accomplishments, has made herself nothing as well and taken on the same attitude of Jesus.

So Carsyn, if you’re reading this…THANK YOU for being an amazing teammate and friend. I’m so proud of you – all your accomplishments you’ve experienced through track but also for the love you share with everyone around you!


April 27, 2016

Most of us had the past two weekends off of competing (it was so nice to catch up on some sleep and homework before it’s time for the end of our season and finals week) but Carsyn and Liv headed to L.A. to represent our team at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 16th! We couldn’t be more proud of them. They both ran the 800 meters and Carsyn won her section and shaved two seconds off her previous best time and came out with a new lifetime PR of 2:03.58! For those of you who are unaware…the qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic Trials is 2:03.0. Carsyn’s new PR ranks #1 in the nation for NCAA DII by almost five seconds. And she stands at #20 in U.S. this year for all marks (including all Division I and professional marks). By the way, the top 32 competitors will compete in the Olympic trials later this summer!

On Friday night, we headed down to Wilmington College to compete. Highlights: Lyndsey Smith won the 200 meters and long jump! And she took 2nd in the 100 meters. She beat her lifetime PR in the 200 by .3. Yeah Lynds :) she killed it! Hailey & Kacy took 1st and 2nd in the 1500 meters. Kayla & Nicole took 1st and 2nd in the steeplechase. Tiera won pole vault by over two feet! And in the 5K, we placed 1st-6th thanks to Christy, Kat, Gabby, Paige, Ali, and Kristen!

On Saturday, Olivia qualified for the Jesse Owens Track & Field Classic at Ohio State where she ran 2:12.06 and took 10th!


April 5, 2016

Another week of training has come and gone as we finished our second outdoor meet of the year!

On Saturday, we flew four of our fastest middle-distance girls – Carly, Sarah, Olivia, and Carsyn – down to Texas to compete in the Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays (a highly competitive, mostly NCAA Division I meet). We ran the 4 x 800 meter relay and took fifth-place behind Clemson, Baylor, Liberty, and Kansas - all DI programs. Also our time, 8:59.84 was a new school record! Later, Carsyn competed in the 1500 meters for us where she ran 4:29.11, placing 9th.

We really missed these girls as the rest of us traveled down to Kentucky where we competed at Centre College. Even without four of our fastest teammates, we still managed to take second-place overall! It was tough weather to compete in though…we had some really cold and gusty winds. The home stretch had a super strong headwind, making it difficult to finish. Some of the field events faced against the wind, too. After the meet, Coach Orchard told us how proud he was of our efforts despite the circumstances! He didn’t hear a single complaint the whole twelve hours we were there…

Our performances may not have been exactly what we wanted, but they were our best for that day and that’s what counts. Stand outs came from our speedy freshies, Lyndsey Smith and Kayla Casaletto. They each took first in their event! Kayla in the 5K and Lyndsey in the 200 meters! Before Lyndsey ran her 200 meters, she took fourth in the 400 meters. She was only a couple tenths of a second off her time from last week, which tells us that with better conditions, she’ll be even faster for our next meet!

Our senior, Laura, won the high jump with 5-1.75, and took fourth and fifth in both hurdle races! Her most impressive event of the day: definitely the 400 meter hurdles. Her blocks slipped at the beginning of the race and she fell…but she got up and won her heat anyway! Even with the wind and the fall, she was only a couple seconds behind her PR! Crazy girl :)

In the 1500 meters, we took 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 9th! Kacy led for us with a 4:45.11 and Hailey ran a 5:01.07. Our 5K-er, Kat raced the 800 meters. She really got after it and won her heat with a 2:28.85. She took 5th overall! Too bad she wasn’t in a faster heat!

In the field events, Tiera Martinelli, our pole vaulter, took 6th. This is only her second meet of the year as she didn’t compete for us this indoor season, so we were super proud of her! Mariah Cruise took 4th in both the shot and the discus! And our 4 x 400 meter relay of myself, Kacy, Hailey, and Vivianna took 5th!

This upcoming weekend we are competing at All-Ohio in Athens, Ohio! Stay tuned :)


March 29, 2016

We launched our 2016 outdoor season with our home opener this past Saturday, where we took first! We were blessed to have an amazing, beautiful, and sunny day to compete and celebrate the Easter weekend.

Our senior heptathlete, Laura Farleman, started off the meet for us by winning high jump where she went 5-3.25. She also took second in the 100 meter hurdles with a solid 15.50. Our freshman sprinter, Lyndsey Smith, took first in the 200 meters with 26.19.

In the 1500 meters, we took first through fifth place…Carsyn won with a 4:34.63 (even though she was battling the stomach flu - poor girl) and Olivia wasn’t far behind with a 4:38.93. Later, Olivia went on to win the 800 meters where she ran 2:17.29. Carly Rose came in second with 2:21.41.

Kat Sill and Christy Jesson both ran incredible 5K’s! Both PR’ed and together they took first and second. Keep in mind that it was only a year ago that Christy completely tore her ACL and had to undergo reconstructive surgery!

Our 4 x 400 meter relay closed the meet with a 4:01.05 where we took first.

However, the highlight of the meet definitely had to be our sophomore thrower, Mariah Cruise, breaking our school record in the shot put. The new record she set is 42-3.25. Here’s what she had to say about it on Insta: @mariah_joy50 "All the hard work I've put in over the last year and a half has finally paid off. I thank God for all the people that have worked so hard to get me to this point. All time PR and school record 42-3.25." We’re super proud of Mariah and this new record she’s set!

Update on Makayla Cook: she survived ACL surgery!

"Just to update everyone, surgery went well, ended up having to repair the meniscus as well but it all went smoothly. Looking forward to a relaxing week in my own bed before attempting to go back to classes. Thanks again for all the prayers, God is good all the time even when you might not know his plan for things yet. So chin up because no matter what God is always with you and he promises to never forsake us."


And lastly, if you didn't hear...Our very own Carsyn Koch is a NCAA DII NATIONAL CHAMPION in the indoor 800 meters! Not only that...but she set the meet record. We're so proud to call her one of our own and can't wait to see where she goes with the rest of her career.







March 2, 2016

This past weekend we were privileged to host our G-MAC Championships! Many of us competed in multiple events. We managed to place in the Top 3 of fourteen of the sixteen events. We won six of those events, and together we rallied up 183.5 points, snatching the first place trophy (our first indoor G-MAC title). The runner-up was Ursuline with 112 points. Our head coach, Jeff Bolender, won Coach of the Year!

We voted for our freshman, Makayla Cook, as our own team's athlete of the week. After landing from a huge lifetime PR in the long jump, Makayla severely injured her knee and had to be carried off the track. We're hoping for good news for her, but our athletic trainer suspected a serious tear. Despite her pain, Makayla kept her head up and handled herself positively. Instead of dwelling on what could be a season-ending injury, Makayla focused on cheering for the rest of the team. Please join us in praying for Makayla as she'll be headed into the doctor this week for an MRI!

Winning conference on Saturday was such a nice close to our indoor season! However, today we got the official news that five of our girls will be extending their indoor season another two weeks...they qualified for the NCAA DII national championships! Next Tuesday, they'll be headed to Pittsburg, Kansas! This is a huge honor as there are only 12-20 spots available for each event. We're beyond excited to send our teammates off to represent Cedarville at such a high level among the best athletes in the nation. Carsyn Koch and Olivia Esbenshade will both be racing the 800 meters and the distance-medley relay, along with freshman, Lyndsey Smith, sophomore, Sarah Hoffman, and junior captain, Hailey Bredeson (as alternate).

We can't wait to see what they will accomplish at this meet and know they will represent us well. The rest of us are taking a couple weeks as transition training and then we'll be headed into the outdoor season. Our home opener is right around the corner on Saturday, March 29th! If you didn't get to see either of our indoor meets, make sure to check this one out :)


Feb. 23, 2016
 

We traveled to Indiana Wesleyan University this past weekend and tied for 2nd overall at the NCCAA Championships! With only twenty-one members of the women’s team healthy and able to compete, many of us stepped up to the plate to put points on the board! Highlights: Carsyn set two meet records in the 400 meters and the 800 meters. Olivia shaved another second off of her 800 meters time, took 2nd place overall, and moved up to rank 20th in the NCAA II. Sarah Hoffman won her heat of the 800 meters with a 2:19.23, placing 6th overall. Laura Farleman placed 6th in the pentathlon with 3,044 points. Lyndsey placed 7th in the 200 meters with a 26.37. In the 3K, Kayla, Hailey, and Bethany took 5th, 7th, and 8th. Kat Sill won her heat of the 5K with a 19:00.60 taking 8th place overall. Our 4 x 800 meter relay took 7th and our 4 x 400 meter relay placed 2nd!

Two of our ladies’ performances really stood out though. Kacy Dunn ran a huge lifetime PR in the mile and took 6th place with a 5:15.68. Mariah Cruise hit a huge PR as well, taking 2nd in the shot put with a 41-8.5. Mariah is now half an inch off our school record! We’re proud of Kacy and Mariah and the way they were able to step up and perform like they never have before at such an important meet! Every point counted and contributed to the NCCAA runner-up trophy we took home.

This upcoming weekend we’re hosting the G-MAC Championships where we’ll be finishing up the 2016 indoor season.


Feb. 16, 2016

Last Thursday we traveled to Allendale, Michigan for our first overnight trip of the year! The weekend served as a reminder that our circumstances don’t have to be perfect to do something great. Countless PR’s were broken, several school records were shattered and national qualifying marks were hit.

 

Most of the team arrived on Friday night, but we sent Olivia, Carsyn, and Hailey up on Thursday to compete against some of the best competition in the country. This was basically a pre-national meet. Carsyn raced the mile where she shaved ten seconds off her time, broke the school record, and automatically qualified for Nationals! Our captain, Hailey also raced the mile for us. However, in the last two laps of her race, Hailey was shoved by the runner behind her, who then tripped on the back of her achilles tendon, taking off her shoe. She still managed to finish the race with only one tact shoe and came in at a 5:16.07. Hailey kept her spirit up through it all even though she was on pace for close to breaking 5 which would have been a huge PR for her. Later on Friday, Olivia ran an incredible 800 meters and is currently ranked 13th in the nation! Only a couple seasons ago, Olivia was completely out with a stress fracture but her persistence and hard work has paid off. We’re proud of you and all you’ve overcame, Liv! :)

The snow storm on Friday night only slowed the rest of the team down by a couple hours. We arrived to an amazing home-cooked meal from the church we stayed at! They were super generous and friendly and kept us warm and well fed during our stay. We were expecting to sleep on the floor, but they surprised us with mattresses and cots. After the late night, they came back to feed us a hot breakfast bright and early at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. We’re so grateful for their hospitality! The highlight of Saturday for the women’s team was our distance-medley (1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1600 meters) of Carsyn, Lyndsey, Sarah, and Olivia! They ran over 4000 meters in 11:45.18 - a school record and a national qualifying mark, putting them at 9th in the nation!

This upcoming weekend, we’re headed to Marion, Indiana for NCCAA’s. The following weekend, we’ll be back home for our G-MAC championship.

Feb. 9, 2016

This past weekend was a busy one for us. We had our first home meet of the year on Friday and on Saturday we hosted a huge high school meet with over 1,400 competitors. It was exciting to compete in front of our home crowd where many of our friends and family members sat. A lot of us had professors show up which was awesome to have their support as we competed! It’s encouraging to have professors who care about us as people and as athletes, not just as their students! It was good for those of us on the team to work the high school meet where we were able to gain an appreciation for those who run the meets we compete at. We’re thankful both meets went well. It takes a lot of work to organize and host a track meet but our coaches did so well managing the meet and we’re grateful for all the volunteers who helped us out :)

Our women’s team took 2nd out of 10 schools behind Wright State with 120 points. Our men’s team took 1st so we’re proud of them even though Wright State doesn’t have a men’s track & field team.

In the hurdles, our two multi’s Laura Farleman and Jaylyn LaFlamme ran 9.12 and 9.86. Laura took 5th overall! In high jump, she went 4-9. Our freshman sprinter, Lyndsey Smith, ran an impressive 200 meters dash time with a 26.99, taking 3rd place.

Carsyn Koch and Olivia Esbenshade managed to double up in the 400 meters and the 800 meters, which are probably the hardest two events to race back to back. Even with the super short recovery between the races, they still took 1st and 2nd in both races. Carsyn’s 400 meters time was a provisional mark for DII Nationals and ranks her at 19th in the nation!

In the mile, we took 3rd and 5th. Freshman Kayla Casaletto ran a 5:20.63 and sophomore Carly Rose wasn’t far behind with a 5:24.37. Sophomores Sarah Hoffman and Christy Jesson came in at 5:29.68 and 5:32.49.

Hailey Bredeson and Bethany Norman ran an awesome 3K race. They took 1st and 2nd and were only three tenths of a second apart. Both ran 10:38's which was a PR for both of them. Although Hailey normally runs the mile for us :) Also in the 3K, Alaina Spears ran an 11:04.68, Paige Logan 11:05.82, and Kat Sill ran 11:11.15.

In the field events, freshman Makayla Cook took 6th in long jump, jumping 15-6.75. Our pole vaulter, Kristen Mohre, PR’ed with a vault of 9-6.24. Mariah Cruise threw an impressive weight throw beating her PR by three meters! She took 2nd overall with a 46-4.75.

Our 4 x 400 relay team of Lyndsey, Olivia, Carsyn and myself took first with a 4:01.87. After the race, Carsyn gathered our team and several other teams together to pray where she thanked God for the ability to run and for safety as the others traveled home. Carsyn is one of the fastest people some of these other runners from secular universities will ever talk to, and they got to see her give the glory and praise to God. It was a good ending to our first home meet. In two weeks, we will be back at home, competing for the G-MAC indoor title!


Feb. 2, 2016

Most of us had this past weekend off of competing, but on Friday our two pentathletes, Laura Farleman and Jaylyn LaFlamme competed in their first pentathlon of the year at the Findlay Indoor Classic. Laura took 10th overall, and Jaylyn took 17th. While most of us compete in one or two events per meet, these two compete in five: long jump, high jump, shot put, the 60 meter hurdles, and the 800 meters! Which is crazy and we are so proud of their effort :) training for the pentathlon is unlike any other training as you can imagine because instead of focusing on one event, like most of us do, they must spread their time and energy over many different events. We can’t wait to see what these two accomplish the rest of this year!

On Saturday we sent three of our fastest middle distance girls, Carsyn, Olivia, and Hailey, along with a couple of those on the men’s team, to the Spire Midwest Open qualifier meet in Geneva, Ohio. Olivia and Hailey raced the mile and took 3rd and 14th with a 5:01.53 and 5:13.68. Olivia is now only a little over a second off the national provisional mark. She and Carsyn then competed in their first 800 meters of the year where they took 1st and 2nd! Carsyn broke the indoor school record and they both hit provisional marks for Nationals. They’re currently ranked 6th and 16th in the nation for NCAA Division II. Carsyn’s mile time from last week puts her at 18th in the nation. We’re super proud of these three and what they have been able to accomplish already so early into our season. They are such an encouragement to the rest of the team. Not only are we able to see their hard work and diligence pay off but we are all so encouraged by their support and interest in the rest of the team! No one would ever be able to guess from talking to them that they are some of the best runners in the NCAA. They truly reflect Christ’s humility by the way they live.

This Friday is our home meet and we’re all looking forward to competing in front of our friends and families. Come out at 3:30 p.m. to watch us!


Jan. 26, 2016

Last Friday was a great start to our season! Many of us hit PR’s and it definitely looks to be a promising season :) Our freshmen jumpers, Makayla Cook and Lyndsey Smith, started off the meet for us, jumping 15-3.5 and 15-7. Lyndsey also ran an amazing 200 meter race, winning her heat with a 27.06. Both Makayla and Lyndsey didn’t get to have a full fall training like the rest of us. Makayla suffered a concussion from a car accident and was out for several weeks and Lyndsey was off with our CU women’s soccer team for the entire first semester! We’re so happy they’re both able to train full-time with us now and looking forward to what they both will accomplish with the rest of their four years.

Our thrower, Mariah Cruise, took 11th-place in the shot put with a 39-7.75. Her throw was five feet further than what she got back in December at our first meet and it was also her college PR :)

The 800 meters was an exciting race to watch, sophomores Sarah Hoffman and Carly Rose came in 8th and 9th, both hitting 2:22's. Our junior captain, Vivianna Hein shaved three seconds off her time from our last meet.

Our milers were definitely cruising. We took 2nd, 3rd, and 8th! Carsyn Koch broke five minutes for the first time with a 4:59.50 and Olivia Esbenshade and Hailey Bredeson weren’t far behind running 5:02.98 and 5:12.77.

My favorite race of the night was definitely the 3K…I loved watching my best friend, Bethany Norman, finally break her high school time in the 3K with a 10:47.89, and Christy Jesson came in with a 10:48.61, also a PR. Just last track season, Christy tore her ACL and went through reconstructive surgery. Both Bethany and Christy have been through a lot, injury-wise, but it’s so inspiring for the rest of us to see them back and running PR’s. God is so good to heal us :)

Our senior captain, Kathryn Sill, ran an impressive indoor 5K time, with a 19:03.84, only five seconds away from her all time track PR.

Our 4 x 400 relay team wrapped up the meet with an exciting relay race. Olivia, Carly, Carsyn, and Hailey took 6th-place with a 4:04.04.


Jan. 21, 2016

Welcome to the CU women’s track & field blog! Since this is my first post, I’ll share a little bit about me… :) my name is Michaela Nelson and I grew up in Xenia, Ohio. I started running track in 7th grade and immediately fell in love with sprinting. I found a lot of success when I first began track. I knew that God had given me a gift to run. When other things in life weren’t going great, I would say, "Well, at least I have track." I had big dreams for what I wanted to accomplish by the end of high school but God had other plans. Before the start of my senior season of track, I tore my ACL in a basketball game. Through my knee surgery, God humbled me and reminded me that I am more than just a runner. I learned to find purpose in Christ outside of the track.

When I hurt my knee, I thought I might have lost the opportunity to run in college. But by God’s grace, the opportunity was still available to run at Cedarville. Being a part of this team has easily been the best part of my experience so far. Since I hurt my knee, it’s been a struggle for me to stay healthy, but the support and patience I’ve received is unreal. It’s a blessing to be able to train with the teammates I have and under coaches who care about me as a person, not just as an athlete. I wouldn’t want to run anywhere else.

Friday officially marks the start of our 2016 track & field season. Our men’s and women’s teams will be heading up to Youngstown, Ohio for the YSU Invitational. We’ll be competing against 15-20 other universities - mostly schools in our division, but a couple of teams we’ll face are NCAA Division I. I’m excited to witness what my teammates can accomplish this first meet. Most of us are anxious about our events, but this week our coaches reminded us that this is only the beginning of the season and that we must be patient with the process of training. Even if we don’t feel completely ready, we have to start somewhere.

Michaela Nelson is a junior sprinter from Xenia, Ohio. She is in her third season with the Lady Jackets and is majoring in exercise science.