Spider Voices: Support To Go The Distance

By: Jordan Angers, Senior, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field

At the beginning of my last semester of collegiate competition, I was looking forward to accomplishing my remaining goals. I really wanted to score points for the team at the A-10 Championships and to qualify for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championships. Accomplishing these goals would require that I run 10 seconds faster than my best 5k time.

The advantage of running both cross country and track is that I had the opportunity to compete in twelve seasons over the course of college. I have had injuries and disappointing seasons in the past, but I always knew that I had plenty of time to come back and accomplish my goals. As a senior, I knew that time was running out and I wanted to make the most of it. I set goals for the fall cross country season and I was satisfied to have accomplished many of them. What made the cross country season even more satisfying was our team taking home the title at the A-10 Championships. Coming off the win, I was excited to set higher goals for my last two seasons of track.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. At the very beginning of indoor season, our team headed to Penn State for a meet. While my 5k performance was good, I knew I could do better. After the race, my teammates and I went outside for a recovery run. I slipped on ice and landed on my face. Immediately, I knew something wasn't right because my teeth were not aligned like normal. I expected my jaw was just swollen. Instead, the X-ray showed I had a broken jaw. The next couple days consisted of a lot of doctors' visits to get second (and third) opinions on treatment options. I started to lose hope that I would be ready to compete again by the end of senior year, let alone the A-10 Championships in a few weeks. I was frustrated that I wouldn't be able to finish my running career as I had planned.

Luckily, my trainer found a doctor that suggested a non-invasive option requiring my jaw to be wired shut for only two weeks. During those two weeks I was on an all liquid diet, drinking through a straw. Although I could train, it wasn't at the intensity I was used to leading up to important meets, and I had the additional challenge of fueling my body properly because I couldn't eat real food. I was worried that even though I could compete, it would not be at the level required to accomplish my goals.

Luckily throughout this experience, I had a great support system that kept me focused and reminded me that my goals were still within reach. My trainers, coaches, and teammates were incredibly supportive. Our team trainer made sure that I had the best treatment we could find and helped set up options at the dining hall that would fuel me properly so I could keep training. My coaches and teammates helped me stay positive and reminded me that just because the season wasn't going as I had originally planned, it didn't mean I couldn't still accomplish my goals. Less than two weeks after getting the wires off, I competed at the A-10 Championships. where I set a personal record by almost 10 seconds and qualified for the ECAC championships. At ECACs, I set another personal record by another 25 seconds, accomplishing a long-time goal of breaking 17 minutes in the 5k.

Although I hadn't planned to break my jaw, I'm grateful that the experience showed me that I can still accomplish the goals I set for myself even when things do not go as planned. Looking forward, I'm excited to compete in the outdoor season, where I'll race the 10k. I'm setting higher goals for myself this season because I know that despite difficult situations, I can still achieve outstanding results if I stay focused and rely on the amazing support of my team.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Jordan Angers

Upcoming Events

University of Richmond Athletics