Bartlesville native Micah Jenner will make her first trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Cross Country Nationals when she travels to represent the Eagles at the 2009 Championships in Vancouver, Wash.
Jenner, who finished third at the 2009 Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC)/Independent Championships with a time of 21:35.92, becoming the second athlete to qualify for the championships, following the foot-steps of Joni Shellenberger, who did so last season.
The junior will join two others, Kameryn Brewster of York College (Neb.) (MCAC) and Meghan W`illeke (Independent) of Ohio Dominican University, as the representatives from the conference and she is already looking forward to the first time trip.
“I am excited. I feel honored,” said Jenner
Said very modestly, “I honestly don’t deserve to go because I think there are others who are more talented than I am.
“But I am honored to be able to represent my school and get to compete with others at a national championships, which will help me to get stronger as a runner in the future.”
Strength has always been one of the factors of her career, but Jenner has also been fast this season, as she heaved off a huge margin from her own personal record.
Despite this, however, she is still hungry for more success and said that if the course and weather are ideal this weekend, she will lower her best.
“My main goal this coming weekend is to get a time of 20:35. But I would also love to break 21-minutes (if conditions are not favorable).”
Echoing the same comments, first time head coach Mitch Skeens also believes Jenner can run faster and is backing her to place high in the rankings at the end of the meeting.
“Micah is just getting to peak,” Skeens said on Monday. “I think she will run one of her best races of the year and I think she will place pretty high at nationals.
“The competition alone will drive her. She stepped it up this season.
He added, “It is so phenomenal to watch her run.”
Meanwhile, after finishing 11th at last year’s MCAC meeting, Jenner returned a season later to help the Lady Eagles captured their first women’s cross country championship conference title in St. Louis, Mo., on Nov. 7.
Jenner admitted that the season was a very challenging one, but gave praises to the coach for pushing the team.
“Coach Skeens helped in pushing us. He made us believed that we are definitely stronger than we really think we are.
“It’s been a challenging season,” she said with a little smile before commenting “it, however, made me stronger.
“I have never been this strong before.”
Jenner leaves for the national championships on Wednesday, and competes on Friday.