ALBION, Mich. -Jessica Shaw will represent Albion College as an individual runner in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is hosting the championships, November 21, at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin. The women’s race will begin at Noon Eastern Time.
Jessica Shaw is nearing the finish line of another cross country season, her third at Albion College, but the journey to qualifying as an individual for the NCAA Division III Championships for the second year in a row was far from easy.
While a fall at the 3-kilometer mark spoiled Shaw’s debut in the NCAA Championships last November, Albion Coach Derick Lawrence was quick to point out how great things were ahead.
The longer than normal cross country season didn’t allow Shaw much time for rest before the track season, and even wearing a boot when not competing in the spring, she managed a runner up finish in the 10,000 meters in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship.
The pain in her foot, however, masked a breathing condition Shaw was beginning to develop. Doctors initially diagnosed Shaw with pneumonia early last summer, but eventually learned it was histoplasmosis, a fungus that had attached to her right lung, making breathing that much more difficult for Shaw, who already battles allergies.
“I’m running with 60 percent of my lungs,” Shaw said. “I was frustrated at first because I eat so healthy. I do all the right things – I get sleep, I train so hard – and I’m the one who can’t breathe.
“I have struggled a lot this season with illness,” she added. “Because my allergies and lungs are so bad my body is constantly fighting off infections. That’s why I keep getting sick because my immune system is so down.”
The frustration reached a critical point Oct. 24, a week before the MIAA Cross Country Championship. A typical workout would have left Shaw energized and wanting to do more. Instead, she felt wiped out and sought support from Lawrence.
“I was pooped and that hit me hard because I’ve put so much time and effort into it. I wondered what was going on,” Shaw recalled. “I broke down and told him I was nervous because it didn’t feel the way it usually does. He never doubted me and that really helped me.
“I can’t say what one instant changed my attitude,” she added. “The support I’ve had this year has been above and beyond. I’ve never felt so special and proud of myself. This has truly been a special year for me.”
Despite the adversity she has faced all season long, she has had her most consistent cross country season in her time at Albion. The fifth place finish at the regional championship last Saturday showed her that she is able to compete against the best.
Saying she had never fought through a race the way she did last Saturday, Shaw put herself in position to run with the leading runners and held it throughout the 6K course.
If anything missing some training over the course of the fall has left Shaw with energy to attack her upcoming run at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wis. Where she would have worn herself out doing speed work in the past, Shaw bought into Lawrence’s plan of building her endurance to the point where she believes she can contend for All-America status by finishing among the top 35.
“It’s the end of the season and I’m feeling great – like I’m just starting,” Shaw said. “I feel like I’m just getting into speed and the other runners are exhausted.
“This race is for me,” she added. “This is for all those adversities I fought through.”
Courtesy of Bobby Lee, Albion College Sports Information Director