By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

It was only a year ago that the New York Mills Eagles cross country program had their first female athlete to qualify for the state competition. The school only had one member of the program qualify for the state competition in the 1970s, just prior to the program dissolving for a number of decades. With the program starting back up over the past decade, new runners have emerged with Jada Goeson being a leading member in the area.

Goeson has been running cross country since fifth grade and started setting records in track and cross country as early as her freshman year, being only three seconds away from qualifying for the state track meet in 2022. As she continued to train and build her weekly regimen of running 60 miles a week in the summer, she consistently broke personal record after personal record, as well as leading the team in season times and breaking the school and conference record by almost four seconds in mid-May 2023, a record that had stood for 12 years.

“I love to run,” said Goeson. “I think running has such a great community, the community is always very positive. I run 60 miles a week in the summer, but when it comes closer to sections or state, I lower the mileage because it helps my legs get fresh.”

When Goeson qualified for her first state cross country meet on October 27, 2023, she did so with a time of 20:37.30, coming in fourth place in the snowy 5k event at Bagley, Minn. She competed at the state championship on November 4, 2023 in St. Paul, Minn. with a time of 21:03.20. This year, she’s already got her goal set in her mind for the state championship.

“I’m hoping to break 20 at state,” she said. “It’s all eight sections in single A competing.”

Goeson has continued to lead in cross country on her own with the NY Mills Homeschool team. She began her season on August 26 at the Central MN River Run in Staples, Minn. where she received a top ten medal for her time of 22.50. She then moved on to the annual MSUM Dragon Twilight Invitational where she set a season best of 20.48.

Goeson’s next meet was on September 26 at the Glenn Moerke Invitation in Pelican Rapids where she earned a first place finish and top ten recognition. At the Perham Invitation on October 10, she set another season best and led the pack of runners during the event.

In her qualifying meet at Twin Pines Golf Course in Bagley, Minn. she was the first of six individual qualifiers setting a season best time of 20:17, thus securing her second consecutive qualification for the state cross country tournament at the Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

“It was very relieving,” said Goeson of qualifying. “I’m very excited. You’re kind of on a runner’s high, it’s very exciting.”

Along the way, Goeson has learned a lot about running and a lot about life. From the technical aspects of what, when, and how much food to eat while training, how to navigate a competition, and the joys of the sport.

“There’s a lot of factors that play into running,” she said, “I think not a lot of people realize that.”

Goeson competed at the state cross country meet at the University of Minnesota on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. as her parents, Andy and Alexis Goeson, along with her family and friends cheering her on. She took 70th place overall with a time of 20:44.