Senior Janet Jesang had just won her second straight individual title at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, but you wouldn’t have known it from talking to her.
Jesang would only praise her teammates after the race.
“I could not have run without the rest of my teammates,” Jesang said. “We run as a team. We depend on each other. Without one of us, there is no way we could win.”
The Lady Toppers won their fourth straight conference championship with a score of 53, defeating second-place Middle Tennessee State by 12 points.
“Before the first mile, I looked back and saw only MTSU runners behind me,” Jesang said. “But when I finished, I looked back again and saw one of our girls, and I thought, ‘Oh yes, we are going to win today!’”
Jesang covered the flooded Selman Field course in Monroe, La. in 19 minutes, 9 seconds, and junior Marion Kandie finished second in 19:29.
Senior Eimear O’Brien, sophomore Michelle Finn and senior Ana Carenina also finished in the top 25 to secure the victory.
O’Brien, who has run with Jesang for the past three years, said her teammate is an inspiration and a major reason for the team’s success.
“When you’re in races with over 200 girls from the biggest colleges in the United States and you hear the commentator calling her name right up there with the best, it pushes us to work harder knowing she’s working hard up front,” O’Brien said.
Although Jesang is a three-time All-American, Carinena said success has not affected her modest personality.
“When you are running with her, you don’t feel like you are with such a high-caliber athlete because she is so down to earth,” Carinena said.
Assistant Head Coach Michelle Scott, who was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year after Saturday’s race, said she doesn’t even want to think about competing without Jesang next season.
“Everyone looks up to her, including me,” Scott said. “People are just in awe of her. She is almost like a goddess.”
In the men’s race, Western tied Troy for fifth place with 161 points. Senior Patrick Cheptoek finished in 26:57 and placed third individually, but no other Topper finished higher than 30th.
The teams will compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional in Louisville on Nov. 14, then travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for the NCAA championships on Nov. 23.
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