By John Mackey
Twenty-five days before her first collegiate cross country race, former Mansfield athlete Jadelynn Wood was bitten hard by the “homesick bug”. A good old fashioned dose of “team encouragement” did the trick. Now, the 2023 MHS graduate has her first top five college medal and the patient’s prognosis is looking good.
“It was really tough at first,” said Wood on her first day at college away from the comfort of family and friends. “I was ready to go back home on day one. I just missed home. My new teammates encouraged me to keep on going. So, I did.”
The former high school All-State track athlete and captain of Mansfield’s most recent state championship confessed her true feelings about arriving at the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain.
“I remember thinking that first night in the dorm that I wanted to go home,” Wood explained as she continued her warmups in preparation for UARM’s home opening cross country meet on September 26. “I thought, I’d give it a week. If I didn’t like it, I was coming home. My new teammates really encouraged me. After that, I fell in love with the place. I’m happy.”
Samantha Shores, Wood’s college coach, is happy that things worked out as well.
“I’m now her biggest fan,” Shores said of her newest runner at the Buck’s season opener. “Today, she ran the fastest she has ever run on our course with 24:55. The girl is a true athlete with a pure heart for God.”
Shores indicated Wood did not have a favorable time trial 24 days ago. However, Saturday’s home meet results revealed the athlete’s value was on the rise. Wood was the top Lady Buck runner on the women’s home team with a fourth place overall finish at the tri-meet.
“She is willing to put her faith out in God not knowing what is next for her,” the Rich Mountain mentor offered. “She will be one to watch as the season continues on.”
Carl Albert State College and National Park College formed the competition against UARM at the Mena Lions Club 5K course. Connors State College, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and Redlands Community College all NJCAA Region 2 schools were to attend but pulled out when the date was changed.
Originally, the Buck opener was scheduled for the day before at 5 PM. Extreme outdoor temperatures prompted the change to 8:30 AM the next morning for the safety of the runners.
Wood shared that the morning race was much cooler than the hot practices her team had been enduring so far this August preseason.
“It actually felt amazing compared to those 4 o’clockafternoon practices,” Wood explained. “We get up at 4 AM for breakfast. We’ll do a medium or long run by 5 AM. By 6 o’clock we are in the weight room. Then at 4 PM we get hills or 1K repeats. That’s the hot time.”
When asked about her first college cross country race, the freshman runner let her heart do the talking once again.
“It was very scary!” Wood described. “I was just terrified. When that air horn went off, I just took off. Adrenaline was going and I just took off. I was ready to get to the finish line. I was happy I did decent for my first time out. I got my first college medal!”
Coach Shores admitted that she was thrilled to have Wood for the fall season. Both readily admit the college freshman is more excited for track season in the spring.
“We are both excited for track season because that is where she will excel the most,” Shores declared. “I am grateful to have her here.”
For now, it looks like the former Mansfield Lady Tiger has increased her racing stamina and has gained confidence in a short period of time. Navigating the growing pains of college athletics is rarely easy. A little encouragement goes a long way. So does a top tier medal at your first race.
