Oct. 30, 2004
Deciding to play sports in college can be rewarding, but getting to compete requires sacrifices. Hours of practice, travel time and team meetings have to be balanced with studying.
Two years ago, Missouri's Jill Petersen had a choice to make. She could either focus more on cross country or she could walk away from the team. The decision wasn't easy.
"I had to make a decision on my own to work harder," said Petersen, now a senior. "I really wanted to be a part of the team because I knew we were going to have better teams, and I wanted to be a part of that."
Petersen's hunch was right. This season, the women's team has slowly climbed in the rankings. The Tigers are ninth in the nation after finishing fourth at the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 1 and third at the NCAA Pre-National Meet on Oct. 16.
"I figured that if I wanted to run in college I didn't want it to end up being a bummer," Petersen said. "I didn't want to be like, `Oh well, I tried.' I wanted to actually accomplish something."
A native of O'Fallon, Petersen was a state cross country champion in 2000 and 2001. As a freshman, she finished 42nd at the Big 12 Championships and 56th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. But she struggled as a sophomore and did not race in either of those meets.
Not getting to run in the conference meet was tough for Petersen, Missouri assistant coach Rebecca Wilmes said.
"There was just a defining moment with Jill and her career where she was not achieving as much on the track as she wanted," Wilmes said.
Missing the rest of the 2002 sent a message to Petersen. After discussing her cross country future with Wilmes, Petersen came to a decision. She decided to work harder.
"She set aside her own disappointment with that and became a great team person," Wilmes said. "From that moment on, athletically, you kind of saw her make a decision that she wasn't going to let that happen again, that she was going to be a player."
Petersen's dedication to improving was apparent immediately.
Last year, Petersen finished 14th at the Big 12 Championships and 13th at the regional. Her biggest moment came at the NCAA Championships, when she finished the 6-kilometer course 94th overall in 21 minutes, 12 seconds - a personal best.
"She is one of the most focused people on our team, really kind of the glue right now," Wilmes said. "She wants to be great, and she wants our team to be great."
As a senior, Petersen got the first win of her college career at the Missouri Cross Country Challenge on Sept. 11 and followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the Woody Greeno Nebraska Invitational the next week. She finished 20th at Notre Dame and 18th at the Pre-National Meet in 21:07.3 - setting another personal best.
"I'm really happy with the way things are going right now, and I am really excited for the team," Petersen said.
Although Petersen is reluctant to call herself a leader, the example she sets to younger runners is clear, Wilmes said.
"People can say a lot, but it's more about getting it done," Wilmes said. "That is what a leader really is."
Petersen and the rest of the cross country team look to get it done today at the Big 12 Championships in Topeka, Kan.