2008 Woodie Awards
Meet the Coach
Jen Jacobsen - Cross Country and Track and Field
Travis Fondow
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Sports
1. What has been your favorite sports related moment since coming to LU?
This one is a tie: Last year, our Distance Medley Relay took second in indoor conference-- it was four guys who gave up individual goals in order to allow this relay to succeed. They trained really hard (running outdoors all winter on a shoveled track), so it was great to see them earn medals.
And the second one, at outdoor conference, our women took first, fifth and sixth in triple jump. It was a group of women who worked so well together and were committed to helping one another succeed. Honestly, I don't think they cared about the order of their finish, as long as it was 1-5-6 = 17 points.
So many people see track & field as an individual sport, but the greatest moments are the ones that underscore we are a team.
2. What are your thoughts on the upcoming indoor and outdoor track seasons?
We are looking forward to competing well. One of the challenges in track & field is getting people to understand there is no "indoor" season and "outdoor" season, but rather one season and some of the meets are indoors and some of the meets are outdoors. How lucky are we that we get two conference meets? The athletes who have been with us from day one are laying a great foundation now and will be able to compete with their conference competition in the long haul, because trust me, we have seen Beloit, Carroll, Ripon, and St. Norbert -- they all came back in shape and their athletes are competing at a high level right now.
3. How is the freshman class? Any new up-and-coming talent?
We have a lot of talent in our freshman class, but even more exciting is the sense of commitment they have. Our freshmen were very visible in the voluntary training that bridged fall sports and winter break. This type of dedication is critical to compete well in the Midwest Conference.
4. Who are the Captains this year, and what kind of role have they played?
We are very fortunate in our captains, Laurel Benson, Ali Blegen, Russell Geisthardt, and Mike Pierquet. I give a lot of decision-making responsibility to the captains, and they take their roles very seriously. They spend a lot of time thinking of ways to help our team. You probably couldn't ask for a stronger group of students, either, and I don't think that is a coincidence. Leadership on our team is not limited to captains, and there have been a number of other athletes who have stepped into leadership roles.
This one is a tie: Last year, our Distance Medley Relay took second in indoor conference-- it was four guys who gave up individual goals in order to allow this relay to succeed. They trained really hard (running outdoors all winter on a shoveled track), so it was great to see them earn medals.
And the second one, at outdoor conference, our women took first, fifth and sixth in triple jump. It was a group of women who worked so well together and were committed to helping one another succeed. Honestly, I don't think they cared about the order of their finish, as long as it was 1-5-6 = 17 points.
So many people see track & field as an individual sport, but the greatest moments are the ones that underscore we are a team.
2. What are your thoughts on the upcoming indoor and outdoor track seasons?
We are looking forward to competing well. One of the challenges in track & field is getting people to understand there is no "indoor" season and "outdoor" season, but rather one season and some of the meets are indoors and some of the meets are outdoors. How lucky are we that we get two conference meets? The athletes who have been with us from day one are laying a great foundation now and will be able to compete with their conference competition in the long haul, because trust me, we have seen Beloit, Carroll, Ripon, and St. Norbert -- they all came back in shape and their athletes are competing at a high level right now.
3. How is the freshman class? Any new up-and-coming talent?
We have a lot of talent in our freshman class, but even more exciting is the sense of commitment they have. Our freshmen were very visible in the voluntary training that bridged fall sports and winter break. This type of dedication is critical to compete well in the Midwest Conference.
4. Who are the Captains this year, and what kind of role have they played?
We are very fortunate in our captains, Laurel Benson, Ali Blegen, Russell Geisthardt, and Mike Pierquet. I give a lot of decision-making responsibility to the captains, and they take their roles very seriously. They spend a lot of time thinking of ways to help our team. You probably couldn't ask for a stronger group of students, either, and I don't think that is a coincidence. Leadership on our team is not limited to captains, and there have been a number of other athletes who have stepped into leadership roles.
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