National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

This is the 8th Fall 2013 edition of our NSAF weekly feature on nationalscholastic.org: the Emerging Elites of the Week.  The New Balance Nationals Indoor and Outdoor meets have become known for the ever-expanding and improving competition in the divisions of the same name.  Similarly, the NSAF seeks to give weekly recognition to track and field and cross-country athletes reaching new and exciting competitive levels with their recent performances.

This week we honor two first-time state champions from Wyoming and North Dakota (photos submitted by coaches and parents).

Male – Jonah Henry, Laramie HS Class of 2014, Laramie WY

1st, 15:22.32, WHSAA 4A State Champs 5k, V.A. Hospital Grounds, Sheridan WY

If someone else besides Jonah Henry was going to win the Wyoming 4A state XC title last Saturday in Sheridan, they were going to have to come from behind and take it from him.  The Laramie senior took the lead from the gun and never relinquished it, running a 15:22.32 that was 13 seconds ahead of two-time defending champ Ricky Faure of Rock Springs and the rest of the field.  That completed a long-sought goal for Henry, who paced the Plainsmen to their second straight team crown under Coach Greg Schabron after the school captured its first last fall.  He has more individual seconds and thirds at state meets than he cares to remember in track and XC during his career, but now he finally has a gold – capping off a regular season with eight straight wins.

Wyoming fans may see the name Henry at the top of a state meet XC or distance track race for many years to come, however, as Jonah is the second of five brothers.  Already, Chris (4th at state, 4:31/9:59 bests at 16/32 as a frosh) is showing he could eventually be the best Henry yet.  But Jonah has more business ahead, including trying to lead his team to Portland next month, and then in the spring trying to improve his 9:19 3,200 PR from Arcadia last spring as well as bests at other distances.

Some thoughts from Jonah:

On how it feels to finally capture a state title:  I've had many second- and third-place finishes at state meets, and finally getting first is a huge accomplishment for me.  I've always been working towards this goal, but I've never been able to pull it off until now.  The feeling I had from winning is one of immense joy and relief.  Coming into the race, I was feeling somewhat anxious; I knew that I had won every race this season against good competition, but my team had lost one of our top five runners, putting a lot of pressure on all of us to compete well.

On his rivalry with Ricky Faure:  The Wayne Chaney Memorial meet (mid-September) was the first time that I had beaten Ricky in cross country.  As a junior, I placed above him in the 3200 in state indoor track and in the 1600 in state outdoor track.  Racing against Ricky always is a challenge because he is an incredible runner.  As for our rivalry, I feel we have always had friendly competition, pushing each other to become faster and stronger.

On keys to winning a second straight team championship under Coach Schabron:  We were excited after winning the state title for the first time last year, because no one was graduating.  Unfortunately, Nathan Morgan was injured at the beginning of this season, and Heath Geil-Haggerty was injured one week before state last week. Throughout the season, however, we knew that we were the team that everyone was aiming for. 
Our coach handled it very well, though.  He kept us all calm and focused on our goals to repeat. He would not let us settle in and become overconfident in our abilities.  For these reasons, among others, I feel that Coach Schabron is an incredible coach, and he has really helped all of us become better runners.  Also, we have grown really close in the past three years I have been with him and I consider him almost another uncle.

On being part of a family of running brothers, including Josh (Class of 2012) and Chris (current sophomore standout):  I am the second oldest, but I actually have three younger brothers.  My other two younger brothers are Philip, who is an eighth grader this year; and Kent, who is a fifth grader this year. 
As for running in the Henry family, it has its advantages.  My brothers and I are really close with each other, but still are really competitive.  We are always pushing each other to do more than we think we can and supporting each other in times of need.  We often run together on the weekends.  I feel extremely lucky to be in my family because of the general respect and love we all have for each other, as well as for the competitive push.
We’ve been running the Happiness 5K in Laramie since we were five years old.  We’ve always enjoyed running and being on the XC team has been a great experience.

On his post-season racing plans and regarding how his racing at Arcadia last spring opened his eyes to national-level competition:  I have not competed at NXN or Foot Locker before.  I plan to keep on running as long as I can this season, which hopefully means going on to Nike Nationals in Portland.  I hope that I can qualify both individually and with my team, because having them all to support me and keep me motivated is a huge help. 
As for my plans beyond this season, I am looking to run in both indoor and outdoor track and then to run in college.  This will be my first year competing in a post-season race, and I am very excited to try my luck against some competition I have not had the chance to race yet. 
Last year, going to compete in Arcadia was like a dream come true.  I was really looking for a way to race people faster than myself, and at a low elevation so that I could hit a good time. Also, the trip there with my younger brother, my good friend Cassidy Meade and my coach was more fun than I could have imagined.

Female – Jordan Jacob, Century HS Class of 2015, Bismarck ND

1st, 14:02.20, NDHSAA Class A State Champs 4k, Bjornson Park GC, Valley City ND

Jordan Jacob has been one of the top runners in North Dakota since her 8th-grade XC season in 2010, but there’s no question she’s reached a new level this fall.  Last Saturday’s decisive victory in the Class A finals not only kept the Century (Bismarck) junior unbeaten, but cut her PR by 10 seconds and nearly got her under 14 for the first time over 4k with a state meet record 14:02.20.  On top of that, she helped her Patriots squad to nearly top the podium for the first time ever under veteran mentor Coach Julie Stavn.

Jacob had placed 4th, 3rd and 4th her first three years at state and her best time was a 14:28 at state in 2011.  She’s beaten that six times this fall.  She also took 40th and 44th in the 2010 and 2011 NXN Heartland races before missing the 2012 edition.  After her improvement all season so far, it’s easy to see why she’s eager to test herself again a few more times before XC is over.

Some thoughts from Jordan:

On what it’s been like to win state and the acknowledgment since:  The state meet this year was a lot different for me this year than it’s been in the past.  This year, I was ranked first on every state poll, and my times throughout the season were faster and continued to improve each race.  I was confident and prepared going in to state, because I knew the potential I had.
I was very happy with how my state meet went. My goals going into the state meet were ultimately to win, and I did that with a state record time of 14:02.  The days following state have been overwhelming.  It's great to receive praise from so many people; it just makes the win that much more special.

On how she got started in the sport:  I started running cross country in 7th-grade, running with the middle school, and then in my 8th-grade season ran a few meets with the high school – including state.  My parents saw my potential as a runner when I was young, so running cross country was without a doubt in my best interest. 
When I first started running, I didn't show much interest, and running was not something I enjoyed doing.  However, as I started having success with it, I began to enjoy it.  By the time I got to the high school level, I loved to run, and I became motivated and determined to succeed.

On coming back from injury and reaching a new level this fall:  Coming into my 2012 XC season, I had a major disadvantage.  The previous track season, I got a stress fracture in my foot, had to sit out the second half of track, and was unable to do the offseason training I wanted to do in order to prepare for XC.  I had a lot of catching up to do, so my times weren't what I wanted them to be and my state meet was disappointing to me.
However, this motivated me to come back stronger this fall.  I worked hard during the offseason, and I think that greatly contributed to my success this season.  I constantly reminded myself of how I felt when I was injured and unable to run, and how badly I wanted an individual state title.  So, this year, winning state was a huge relief knowing that all of my hard work had finally paid off.

On the Century program, Coach Stavn and nearly winning the school’s first girls’ team title:  We improved tremendously during the years I’ve been running.  Each year, more girls have come out to run, and each year we have come closer to winning a state title.  We never brought home a state title, and this season we were only six points away from doing so.  This has made us even more eager to win next year.
Coach Stavn is who I give the most credit to for all the success I've had with cross country.  She has taught me so much about running.  I'm so thankful to her for seeing my potential and working with me to become the runner I am today.  I wouldn’t be where I am as an athlete without her and the continued support of my parents and my teammates.  Cross country is just as much a mental sport as it is a physical one, and there's no way I could have gotten this far in running without all the moral support.

On returning to post-season competition this fall, after missing it in 2012:  I didn't run in any regional races last year, because I felt that offseason training was what I needed most.  And physically, I didn't feel ready to go out and compete at such big meets.  This year however, my times are fast enough that I feel confident and ready to compete at a higher level.  I will be running both the Nike Heartland and Foot Locker Midwest regional meets.  My goal is to break 18:00 and place in the top 10 in both races.