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Senior Jenna Belcher’s Saturday at the sectional track meet started with a twist when she hurt her knee during warm-ups. But she didn’t let that stop her from punching her ticket to the state competition in four events: long jump, the 4x200m relay, the 200m dash, and triple jump.
Belcher, who holds school records in long jump (5.60m) and triple jump (11.54m), faced uncertainty after injuring her knee around 9 am, just before her first event. “At about 9:00 this morning, I was actually on the ground wondering if I was even going to be able to finish long jump,” she said.
Belcher pushed through and qualified for state in the long jump with a leap of 5.52m, earning second place.
After consulting with a trainer, she then joined teammates Gracie Woods, Reese Finley, and Brooklyn Douglas in the 4x200m relay. She was most nervous before that event began.
“After talking to the 4×2 team, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to run or not, because there were three other girls on my back, and I didn’t want to let them down,” Belcher said. “They put a lot of confidence in me, and they had my back… After that, I felt good. I was really determined for my next two events.”
The 4×200 team not only qualified for state by finishing third, they clocked a time of 1:44.76, shaving more than a half-second off their existing school record, set at the Central Ozark Conference championship.
Belcher’s confidence carried her through the 200m dash, where she qualified for state with a fourth-place finish in 25.81 seconds.
Her final challenge came in the triple jump, where she started later than everyone else, because she had competed in the 200m dash. With only two minutes allowed between jumps, she posted better distances on each attempt.
She found herself in fifth place with one attempt remaining. “Fourth place was a 10.8 (meters), and I was sitting with a 10.75, so I was right there,” Belcher said.
She mustered the strength for a final leap of 11.06m, securing third place and her fourth state qualification of the day.
“I just had a lot of determination, I guess,” Belcher said. “It’s my senior year, and I’ve had my fair share of injuries, and I wasn’t going to let this one stop me now. My goal for this whole season was to make it to state in at least long and triple jump, and when I knew I had the chance in all four events, that was my end goal.”
After competing in the jumping events last year at Jefferson City, she’s looking forward to a busier weekend this time around. “I’m really looking forward to it. Super excited,” she said.
