Less is more, unless you’re Jenna Lucas.
Track and field participants typically specialize in one event, but ambitious sophomore, Lucas, decided one wasn’t enough.
That’s just the way she rolls.
“In high school, I played four sports, so I’ve always been used to doing a bit of everything,” said Lucas.
No stranger to juggling multiple sports, she wanted to continue the challenge here.
“I don’t have to specialize in one thing and do that all the time,” she said. “It’s more fun because I get to do so many different things.”
Lucas dabbled in multiple sports at Watkins Memorial High School in Pataskala, including track and field, volleyball, tennis and basketball. She was team captain for three out of the four sports and during her volleyball career, she led her team to four league championships and three district runner-up finishes.
While the repertoire of sports made for a well-rounded athlete, she chose to focus on track and field in college.
While the repertoire of sports made for a well-rounded athlete, she chose to focus on track and field once making it collegiate.
Lucas’ track events include 100m, 100m hurdles, 200m, 600m, 800m, 60 hurdles, heptathlon, pentathlon and field events high-jump, long-jump, shotput and javelin. The pentathlon is a combination of five running events and field events. The events can either take place indoors or outdoors, and are divided by gender.
At the Mid-American Conference championship meet, she placed third with 3,700 points in the pentathlon.
Lucas said she found competing in multiple events last year a bit nerve-wracking, but she found a way to manage that.
“Something that helps with the fear and anxiety of performance is knowing that all I can do is give the best that I can with gifts and talents that God has given me,” she said.
The wide array of strenuous events takes its toll but Lucas said the coach Lou Snelling and the training staff help her repair and restore her body.
“I focus on what coach gives me training wise and make sure that I’m doing that,” said Lucas. “Also getting into the training room and talking with my athletic trainers.”
It is important to Lucas to have a team connection despite track and field being a traditionally individual sport.
“It’s an individual sport but it can also be a team sport,” said Lucas. “Everyone is so encouraging and it’s a great atmosphere to be in.”
The team brings comfort and community alongside the struggles of being a student-athlete, as well.
And there’s more to her schedule than her track and field duties. A systems engineering major, Lucas manages a large academic workload.
“I just focus on time management and I use a planner to schedule out my day every single day. That’s how I get things done.”
Academic-wise, coming to BG was a no-brainer since her brother already went here at the time.
“I loved the community and then I really liked the team,” said Lucas. “I felt like it was going to be the best balance between sports and academics.”
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