On Saturday, Nov. 4, Cera Eckenroth, a freshman member of the cross country team at John Brown University, came in first place at the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) championship meet in Bethany, Okla.
Eckenroth has only been running for a little over two years, but since coming to JBU has been able to drop nearly three minutes from her high school 5k personal record.
The SAC championship meet was a test of Eckenroth’s perseverance as she led the meet, something she isn’t used to, and pushed herself to maintain that lead.
“There was another girl whose time wasn’t too far off from mine, so they [the coaches] kind of wanted me to get her a little bit tired during the race,” Eckenroth said. “So going through my mind she was staying with me for most of the race so I was a little worried because I was tired, and I felt like ‘Man, if this comes down to it I’m gonna I don’t want to race her like I might just let her go for it.’ But after like 5k she started to slow down a little bit so I got more confidence to go a little bit faster, but I was a little worried that I wasn’t going to be able to do it.”
To prepare for the meet, Assistant Coach Ben Ledbetter had put together a workout program for the team that had seemed to really help Eckenroth, according to Assistant Coach Peter Cunningham. In addition to that plan though, freshman teammate Reagan Cartmill has seen Cera go above and beyond making sure she is gaining everything out of practice that she can.
“Within cross country, she’s always one of the first people up. You know, she’s running extra miles, she’s doing all the extra things, like always asking coach like ‘can I do a shake out on this day can I do this’ like because she just wants to do better and she wants to do well and wants to perform to the best of her ability,” Cartmill said. “She’s shown just her heart and her passion that she wants to do everything well and with excellence and that’s been super cool to watch.”
Going into the conference meet, her teammates and coaches didn’t doubt that Eckenroth would be able to accomplish what she did and make it to finals. This is partially due to the environment the coaches have created on the team. They strive to “cultivate an environment where our athletes believe in themselves, as they see that we believe in them,” according to Cunningham.
Both Eckenroth and freshman Esmeralda Sandoval, who came in third place at the meet, will go to nationals in Vancouver, Wash., at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Championship Course.
“At Nationals, we hope Cera and Esmeralda just soak in the experience and have a blast. We hope an attitude of gratitude leads them to run without the burden of expectations,” Cunningham said. “Our goal is that they’d toe the line and believe they are strong women that are loved. If they run hard and endure the inevitable pain, we’ll be happy.”
Nationals pose a new challenge for Eckenroth, but she said she is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I’m more excited because I think I race better when I have people to chase after because I’ve never led a race before, so I’m excited to run against girls who are pretty fast,” Eckenroth said. “I’m a little nervous because it’s a hilly course, but my goal is to run a 21:30 [minute race].”
While Eckenroth is at the start of her college athlete career, her coaches and teammates already see a lot of potential in her.
“In relation to character, I’ve seen Cera be an advocate for her teammates/friends. It may have been a quality already formed in her, but we’ve gotten to see her represent and lovingly fight for the needs of those around her,” Cunningham said. “In four years, I can imagine Cera leading a team of confident and strong women to run fast, love well, and be a bunch of DAWGS!”
Photo courtesy of Adam Stanek / JBU Athletics