Jessica Jackson's performances at the cross country state championships continues to be getting better and better all year.
After earning her first all-state medal last year by taking eighth place, Jackson ran even better Saturday, by taking fifth place in the Class 4 State Championships in Jefferson City.
On what turned into a hot afternoon of racing, Jackson ran a time of 19:17, which was only 18 seconds away from second place in the race.
She entered to the day with the goal of placing in the top five and she did just that.
“I didn't like the condition, it was tougher for me,” Jackson said. “It was hard to run in the weather. This was the hottest race. All the races I have ran have been cold. It was hard to adjust, but I did it.”
“Give Jessica credit, she survived,” Neosho coach Harry Lineberry said. “She is tough and very good.”
Missing from the Neosho 1-2 punch was Courtney Wood, who ended up taking 154th place. Still battling the after-affects of the flu, the hot weather caused her to dehydrate on the course after she was in 10th place going up Firehouse Hill, one of the last and biggest obstacles in the course.
“I saw black and gold go in (the finish line) and I thought it was Courtney, but it was Jessica, so I thought Courtney already finished,” Lineberry said. “I looked and I saw Courtney Wood walking I knew something was bad, wrong with her when that happened. She has been in the top nine her first two years. She ran OK on Saturday (in districts), but you can tell she wasn't anywhere close to 100 percent.”
Wood missed a few days of school and was battling a fever last week, Linberry noted.
“I know she (Courtney) is more disappointed than anybody,” Linberry said.
Shynnel Bohannon, running in her last race at Neosho, placed 76th overall, running 21:35. Tara Sanders was 146th overall, running 23:33. Wood was 154th, followed by Hannah Krueger in 156th place, running 24:10. Emily Paullus was 158th and Raven Crosby was 164th.
“Shynnel had a good race,” Lineberry said. “Tara Sanders had a good race. Emily Paullus, I thought she ran to her ability.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge on the day was the weather, hovering around 75 degrees all day, which effected many of the runners.
“We tried very hard to hydrate our kids, we did that yesterday and day before and today,” Lineberry said. “We knew the possibility of hot weather was there.”
