Fresno State Athletics
Striding Toward the Future
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
October 29, 1998
By Sarah Howerton
Fresno State Media Relations
College is always a little intimidating the first year, especially for the novice student-athlete. Learning to deal with coaches and teammates, adhering to rigorous practice schedules and getting used to the academic load can be pretty nerve-racking. But imagine you are a freshman cross country runner where in your first collegiate meet, you are not running against ten or twenty competitors but closer to 100.
For freshman Jennifer Smith, there were nerves but there was also a sense of excitement in her first collegiate competition at the Stanislaus Invitational on Sept. 12.
"The whole time I was thinking to myself, ' This is the first experience of my college career', said Smith. "I was excited but nervous. There are so many runners - good runners. It really opens your eyes to the competition."
In the meet at Stanislaus, Smith helped her team tie for first place out of six other schools. She ran a time of 19:33 in the women's 5,000 meter race and was the Bulldogs' sixth finisher. It wasn't the best placing on the team but that soon changed for the freshman.
At the Fresno State Invitational at Woodward Park - a course known for its rolling hills and fair degree of difficulty - Smith came in second for the'Dogs with a time of 19:30 and 39th overall out of 122 runners. She was also the team's No. 2 runner at the Stanford Invitational where she competed against top talent from defending NCAA champions BYU, Cal, Boise State and Stanford among others.
The freshman who has little running experience under her belt has come far since high school. In fact, she didn't take up the sport until the later part of her high school career. Instead, she was part of a nationally ranked high school basketball team where she played point guard at Bear River High School since her freshman year. Her team made it to the Northern California state finals two years in a row. And during her junior year, her team was one game away from reaching the state finals.
It was a heartbreaking experience for Smith after losing that game. It was then she decided that she needed a change of pace. That's when her friend introduced her to running.
She joined the track team the spring semester of her junior year and ran sprints. But it wasn't long before she started running long distance.
"I first went out and ran sprints," said Smith. "But then I ran the mile in 5:45 and my coach told me to stick with long distance running. My mile came down 30 seconds that year."
She continued with track her senior year and added cross country to her list of lettered sports.
Smith, who chose to come to Fresno State for its cross country and track programs, is now on her way to becoming one of the leaders on the Bulldog cross country squad after only one year of running. She has established the No. 2 spot on the team and is on the heels of senior Stephanie Rivera for the one spot. Smith credits head cross country and track coach Red Estes for recruiting her to Fresno.
"I wanted to run for somebody experienced - someone who had been around," said Smith. "He's been great to me. He's a nice guy with a great sense of humor and a good coach. I'm very new at running and so he can teach me a lot more about it. He's already taught me about running form and different training efforts."
Head cross country coach Red Estes sees the potential in his recruit from Bear River High School in Lake of the Pines, Calif., but still recognizes that she is young and has a lot to learn about running and college life.
"I tell all freshmen to have a two-fold goal their first year," said Estes. "The first part is to take care of their grades. The second part is to get socially adjusted with their new environment. Once those two parts are successfully negotiated, then they can realize their running potential. That goes for Jennifer. She has the potential."
For Smith, getting the best out of herself is important. She has already set goals for herself and is determined on meeting them.
"I want to be a lot faster and I know that I can," said Smith. "I feel good about what I've done so far but I know I can do better. I just want to be the best that I can be."
