By Matt Browning

Jentrie Alderson from Southeast of Saline is as decorated as any runner in the state. She won the Class 3A cross country meet in the fall and is the defending 3A champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races. Next year Alderson will be running at Pittsburg State.

All of the awards and accolades reaffirm what Alderson believes in that hard work will always pay off at some point.

“My accomplishments are the reason I have never given up,” Alderson said. “Having many great accomplishments showed me that hard work does pay off. I didn’t work hard to show everyone what I could achieve, but rather to show myself what I was capable of.”

Trying to defend her titles wasn’t necessarily the focus of Alderson’s offseason regime. Instead, she wanted to work on being more consistent on all of the events she competes in.

“I really wanted to improve my overall endurance but also to get better at the 800-meter pace which is one of my events that I struggle most with,” Alderson said. “My training consisted of miles balanced with good speed work.”

When setting goals, Alderson doesn’t look at specific times. It’s simpler than that.

“One of my main goals is being able to PR,” Alderson said. “I don’t set myself a certain number but just to be able to run faster than the race before. Of course, I have certain times that I want to run, but I try to focus on doing the best I can each race.”