When Van Buren Cross Country’s Jenna Mooneyham watched her older brother thrive in the Eagles’ cross country program, she saw more than just miles to run on the track.
Mooneyham said she saw energy, passion, and a tight-knit community as she watched her brother run. Now a freshman for Van Buren and in her second year running, Mooneyham is blazing her own trail for the Eagles.
“My brother was already on the team and I saw how much fun and how many good people he was meeting from this,” Mooneyham said. “And it just really made me want to join in too.”
Mooneyham’s brother, who competed in over 25 meets during his time at Van Buren, left the program last year after graduation. Mooneyham said his love for the sport and his encouragement to his teammates was contagious. That sense of camaraderie has since fueled Jenna’s passion.
“I just really like the fact that you can get to motivate other people,” Mooneyham said. “And it just really helps to do that.”
Unlike many of her peers, Mooneyham entered the cross country program this year with no athletic background. Mooneyham said she started out of shape, simply hoping to finish a run without stopping. Training alongside her brother, she leaned on his advice to refine her form and fight through early struggles.
“He’ll tell me if I swing my arms kind of bad,” Mooneyham said. “Sometimes I get shoulder pain because I swing my arms the wrong way. I think I was just holding [my shoulders] too tight instead of loosening it so it kind of made that bad.”
Mooneyham set bench marks and dropped her time throughout her first varsity season. In her latest run, Mooneyham clocked in her time of 25:02. She also completed her latest 5000 meter run at 37:56.
