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Celebrating Colorado's college-bound track and cross country athletes:</h3>
After four years as a dominating presence in Colorado track and cross country, Jordyn Colter will be headed to California next fall. Photo by Jeff McCoy.
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Jordyn Colter's personal best marks:
800 meters - 2:08.79
1600 meters - 4:56.20
3200 meters - 10:39.31
5K cross country - 17:00
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When I hear of someone signing with Cal - Berkeley, I immediately think there are probably some academic reasons behind the signing as well as athletic ones. Tell us a little about your academic interest in the University of California first.
The biggest thing for me when I was looking at colleges was academics, and Cal has an amazing reputation. I wanted to go somewhere that had great academics along with a great tradition in athletics and Berkeley has both of those. I’m also interested into going into some sort of exercise physiology and many of girls on the team were planning on going into that same profession and they all spoke very highly of the program.
I'm sure you had other options, tell us a little about what tilted things in Cal's favor.
I was very fortunate to visit some incredible universities, but for me, Cal had everything that I was looking for. Coach Sandoval, Coach Houlihan and Coach Davis are so great in how they train their athletes. Their philosophy is exactly what I was looking for in a program and I can really see myself thriving under their guidance. The facilities at Cal are also amazing and I love all the areas and trails they have to run on and all the equipment they have to make their runners all around athletes. The team was also so inviting and made me feel at home right away.
Has the Cal coach given you any indications of what event or events you might be specializing in in college?
A little bit. Before I left he mentioned that I might be the perfect 1500 athlete because my speed is improving, but I’m not sure quite yet. I think the coaches just want to get me out there and see what I can do and just go from there.
Do you have any plans for post-season cross country this fall?
This fall I’m just going to train through the fall and winter season and enjoy it. During the cross country season I was on and off of running due to some knee problems and my college visits, so I never got to build a true base starting in the summer. So, unfortunately, I would love to go back to Foot Locker, but I do not feel ready. So right now, I’m starting from square one and giving myself the opportunity to do that while also mixing in some days where I build my strength to get ready for track season. Later on, I will work on my speed work and try some indoor meets, but right now I’m enjoying the time I have to train and get stronger.
If you had to single out a favorite high school memory from track or cross country, what would that be?
I think my most memorable moment from my high school career was being a part of winning 5A state track in 2013 with my team for the first time in the history of Cherry Creek High School. Our team was so special and talented and it was so amazing to see all our hard work pay off. I think that winning individual titles is always awesome, but there was something about winning it with a group of people that you look up to and respect and I know I will never forget that.
You're down to one remaining season of high school cross country and track. Are there any remaining goals out there that you're willing to talk about that you'd like to tick off your list yet this spring?
For me, I want more than anything to have a strong and enjoyable last season before heading off to college. I love track, so I’m just excited to go out and do the best that I can and see what we can accomplish as a team.
You've had a lot of incredible teammates in high school. What's one important thing you learned from one or more of those teammates?
I have run and trained with some amazing teammates over the years. It was so fun this season to train with girls who were all so talented. The entire team really stepped up this year especially when I was gone on visits or when I was unable to run. The biggest thing they taught me was to never give up even when challenges arise. It was inspiring to see them all do so well and during workouts they would always push me through. They reminded me to enjoy running and being out there because together we win and lose as a team.
