CALEDONIA — Running always has been fun for Jessica Comer.
Four years ago, Comer didn”t realize she could run and compete in a sport at the same time Caledonia High School.
Since then, Comer has logged hundreds and hundreds of miles and has had fun winning her share of races and state titles.
On Wednesday, Comer”s idea of fun took on another dimension when she signed a scholarship to compete on the Mississippi State cross country and track and field teams.
“I started running and I loved it,” Comer said. “I didn”t know the potential I had. My parents and coaches did, and I just ran because I liked it. Now I run because I can do bigger and better things with it. I can witness people through my athletic experience. Running for a college is great.”
Comer won the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A cross country title with a time of 15 minutes, 55 seconds. She also is the defending Class 4A champion in the 800 meters (2:21.75).
In addition to competing on the cross country team, Comer said she will be a middle distance runner on MSU”s indoor and outdoor teams. She is versatile enough to compete in the 800, 1,500, 1,600, 3,200, and on distance relay teams. She said the added practice responsibilities, the demands of a training schedule, and school work won”t change how she feels about running.
“I know I am going to love college,” Comer said. “Other kids get into trouble when they go to college and go to parties all of the time. That is not going to be me because I am going to make something good out of myself.” Comer never has considered running a form of “punishment.” She said she liked beating the boys in elementary school and came to thrive as a runner because she pushes herself in a sport that rewards the athletes who invest the most.
Comer feels the opportunity to make a bigger investment at MSU is perfect. Her sister, Anna, goes to the school, and her family has deep ties to MSU, which helped make the decision easier.
“I always thought I wanted to run there, and now that dream has come alive and I am actually doing it,” Comer said.
Caledonia High cross country and girls track and field coach James Reed believes Comer has the potential to mature into a top-flight distance runner at MSU.
“She is going to have to step it up because by signing an SEC scholarship she is putting a bull”s-eye on her back,” Reed said. “Every kid she faces this year will be that much more motivated to run against her.
“I think she will do well. She is not just an athlete, she is a student-athlete. She understands what she is going to have to do. She is going to have to work about three notches of what she has done before, but she has the mentality to do it. She is a tough kid. It is going to be great for her to have the opportunity to practice at a real track every day to see what she can really do.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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