SE: For Shufelberger, Cross Country is a Family Affair
Sep 16, 2021 | Cross Country, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Cross Country has always been a family thing for Jaybe Shufelberger. The two-time All-Big 12 Conference honoree certainly delighted in spotting her family awaiting her arrival at the finish line as she finished in the front half of 400 participants at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, last March.
Although Shufelberger was the first K-State women's runner in seven years to earn multiple All-Big 12 honors, it was the people she'd known all of her life who mattered most, and to embrace them all after navigating the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course was the best feeling possible.
"Because of the pandemic, we didn't even know if a season was going to happen," Shufelberger said. "I knew there was the potential that I could go to the championship race, but obviously nothing was certain. Then they allowed spectators, so I was able to have all of my supporters there. That was a great feeling.
"I'm excited to try and get back there."
Shufelberger embarks on her junior season at the exact location where she finished her standout sophomore year, as K-State opens the 2021 cross country season Saturday at the Cowboy Jamboree on the campus of Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Her fourth-place finish at the 2020 Cowboy Jamboree marked her best finish as a Wildcat.
And again, Brandi, her mother, and sisters Mackenzie and Lillianne, and her grandparents will be en tow awaiting their star at the finish line of the women's 6K, which begins at 9:15 a.m. In a way, they've been with her all along — since she tried basketball and soccer in elementary school, then decided to try cross country in middle school, then began her high school career at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, where Scott Shufelberger, her great uncle, served as her cross country coach.
"Just growing up, they bought me a good pair of running shoes, they always showed up at my meets, and they always enjoyed seeing me do what I love," Shufelberger said. "They always encouraged me to see in myself what else I can do."
Her trophy case has grown rather packed. The 2019 KSHSAA state champion in the 800m and 3,200m, Shufelberger also set the school record in the 5K (17:31), 800m (2:16) and 1,600m (4:57). Her 14th-place finish with a time of 21:04.9 at the 2019 Big 12 Championship was the best by a K-State freshman since 2003, and she became the first K-State women's cross country runner since 2015 to earn a spot on the All-Big 12 cross country team.
Then the pandemic altered everything.
"When the pandemic hit, I thought, 'This isn't in America, we'll be fine,'" she said. "Then it hit us. It was pretty scary for a while. As an athlete, as much as it stunk to lose a season, there were benefits like being able to train, but we just didn't know when we'd be racing yet, so we weren't sure when we should be peaking in our running. We kept everything base level. It just helped me to realize the opportunity we have to compete, and we have to savor every moment and not take anything for granted. We trained more than we normally would so coming into the 2020 cross country season I felt super prepared."
That propelled Shufelberger and her teammates to a 2020 season in which K-State finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference, which she followed with her memorable run in the NCAA Championships, where she finished 157th out of more than 400 runners.
"Cross country has taught me a lot of very valuable lessons," she said. "If I want to pursue something and get better at it, I have to put in the time and focus. I've learned that you never really know what you can do and that a really good work ethic comes out of it. This isn't a sport where you can slack. You have to get in there every day. It's a very huge commitment. I've learned to manage everything."
There were hardly any days off since her finish in the NCAAs last March — save a few weeks in May to recover from muscle soreness.
"I built a base mileage in June and worked out with a couple of teammates doing altitude training in Frazier, Colorado, for about six weeks," she said. "Hopefully, that training will pay off pretty soon. Over the summer, we got close to 60 miles per week. That's a pretty comfortable spot for us. Running is stacking good weeks of training upon each other."
Now she returns to the Cowboy Jamboree, where she enjoyed her best finish last year, and months later embraced her family after crossing the finish line in the NCAAs.
"Since it's the first race, I want to see where I'm at and what we can do from there to get to where we want to be by the end of the season," she said. "All of the work we've put into this to compete, I want to give it my all and not leave the course with any regrets.
"All-Big 12 and nationals are two goals I definitely would like to accomplish. I just have to lay it all out there. Going back to the NCAA Championships is a very big goal of mine. Getting that taste of competition at the NCAAs was super exciting. I'd love to be back there."
It all starts Saturday.
Her family will be waiting.
Cross Country has always been a family thing for Jaybe Shufelberger. The two-time All-Big 12 Conference honoree certainly delighted in spotting her family awaiting her arrival at the finish line as she finished in the front half of 400 participants at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma, last March.
Although Shufelberger was the first K-State women's runner in seven years to earn multiple All-Big 12 honors, it was the people she'd known all of her life who mattered most, and to embrace them all after navigating the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course was the best feeling possible.
"Because of the pandemic, we didn't even know if a season was going to happen," Shufelberger said. "I knew there was the potential that I could go to the championship race, but obviously nothing was certain. Then they allowed spectators, so I was able to have all of my supporters there. That was a great feeling.
"I'm excited to try and get back there."
Shufelberger embarks on her junior season at the exact location where she finished her standout sophomore year, as K-State opens the 2021 cross country season Saturday at the Cowboy Jamboree on the campus of Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Her fourth-place finish at the 2020 Cowboy Jamboree marked her best finish as a Wildcat.
And again, Brandi, her mother, and sisters Mackenzie and Lillianne, and her grandparents will be en tow awaiting their star at the finish line of the women's 6K, which begins at 9:15 a.m. In a way, they've been with her all along — since she tried basketball and soccer in elementary school, then decided to try cross country in middle school, then began her high school career at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, where Scott Shufelberger, her great uncle, served as her cross country coach.
"Just growing up, they bought me a good pair of running shoes, they always showed up at my meets, and they always enjoyed seeing me do what I love," Shufelberger said. "They always encouraged me to see in myself what else I can do."
Her trophy case has grown rather packed. The 2019 KSHSAA state champion in the 800m and 3,200m, Shufelberger also set the school record in the 5K (17:31), 800m (2:16) and 1,600m (4:57). Her 14th-place finish with a time of 21:04.9 at the 2019 Big 12 Championship was the best by a K-State freshman since 2003, and she became the first K-State women's cross country runner since 2015 to earn a spot on the All-Big 12 cross country team.
Then the pandemic altered everything.
"When the pandemic hit, I thought, 'This isn't in America, we'll be fine,'" she said. "Then it hit us. It was pretty scary for a while. As an athlete, as much as it stunk to lose a season, there were benefits like being able to train, but we just didn't know when we'd be racing yet, so we weren't sure when we should be peaking in our running. We kept everything base level. It just helped me to realize the opportunity we have to compete, and we have to savor every moment and not take anything for granted. We trained more than we normally would so coming into the 2020 cross country season I felt super prepared."
That propelled Shufelberger and her teammates to a 2020 season in which K-State finished fifth in the Big 12 Conference, which she followed with her memorable run in the NCAA Championships, where she finished 157th out of more than 400 runners.
"Cross country has taught me a lot of very valuable lessons," she said. "If I want to pursue something and get better at it, I have to put in the time and focus. I've learned that you never really know what you can do and that a really good work ethic comes out of it. This isn't a sport where you can slack. You have to get in there every day. It's a very huge commitment. I've learned to manage everything."
There were hardly any days off since her finish in the NCAAs last March — save a few weeks in May to recover from muscle soreness.
"I built a base mileage in June and worked out with a couple of teammates doing altitude training in Frazier, Colorado, for about six weeks," she said. "Hopefully, that training will pay off pretty soon. Over the summer, we got close to 60 miles per week. That's a pretty comfortable spot for us. Running is stacking good weeks of training upon each other."
Now she returns to the Cowboy Jamboree, where she enjoyed her best finish last year, and months later embraced her family after crossing the finish line in the NCAAs.
"Since it's the first race, I want to see where I'm at and what we can do from there to get to where we want to be by the end of the season," she said. "All of the work we've put into this to compete, I want to give it my all and not leave the course with any regrets.
"All-Big 12 and nationals are two goals I definitely would like to accomplish. I just have to lay it all out there. Going back to the NCAA Championships is a very big goal of mine. Getting that taste of competition at the NCAAs was super exciting. I'd love to be back there."
It all starts Saturday.
Her family will be waiting.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
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