Jessica was so talented; she played a varsity sport in every single season of every single school year from grades 7 through 12 until graduation in 2004. She spent six years on the varsity cross country team, six years on the varsity track team, four years on the varsity swimming team, and two years on the varsity basketball team. She is an amazing runner who was coached by fellow Hall of Famer Carolyn Garger.

This inductee helped lead the cross country team to three consecutive LCAA titles from 1998 through 2000 and two consecutive Section V titles in 1998 and 1999. She also helped lead the track team to two consecutive LCAA titles in 2000 and 2001 and four consecutive Section V titles from 1999 through 2002. As only an eighth grader in 1999, she actually helped lead the cross country team all the way to the state championship. This was the first team in school history to compete in a state championship event and she received a medal in the state meet that year finishing in 14th place. She went on to compete in two more state championship meets individually in cross country in 2001 and 2002, winning another medal in 2001. In 2002 she was elected to go to the NY State Federation Championship meet as an individual from Section V in Cross Country.

Throughout her cross country career, she was an LCAA All-Star five consecutive times, was a member of the All-Greater Rochester team three times, and was an All-State team member twice. She continued this dominance in the spring on the track team where she was a Section V Champion in the 3000 meter run in 2002 and in the steeplechase in 2003. Like cross country, she was an LCAA All-Star five consecutive years. Still to this day, she holds three school records in track in the 1500 meter run, the 3000 meter run, and the steeplechase. Upon graduation, she was selected as the winner of the Robert P. Privitera award which is given annually to the senior who had the most outstanding career in athletics while at MMCS.

Her accolades kept coming after high school. Not many athletes who graduate from high school go on to play Division 1 athletics in college. Well, this inductee was unbelievably a three-sport Division 1 athlete at SUNY Albany in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. While there, she was a member of the two-time America East Conference Championship Outdoor Track teams in 2006 and 2007. And why stop at college. She has since become a marathon runner who has completed five marathons with amazing success. On May 3, 2009, she was the 20th highest female finisher in the Pittsburgh marathon, which was also the third highest finisher in her age group. On January 9, 2011, she was the 17th highest overall female finisher in the Disney Marathon out of 6,278 females with a time of 3 hours 10 minutes 36 seconds. She was the third highest finisher out of 629 runners in her age group and finished 170th overall out of a total of 13,551 runners. This qualified her for the Boston marathon, which she completed on April 16, 2012. Again she showed excellence by being the 90thwoman to finish the race out of 8,966 women who finished with a time of 3 hours 14 minutes 50 seconds.

Just two months ago on October 7, she finished the Chicago Marathon with her personal best time of 3 hours 6 minutes 19 seconds and was the 116th woman to finish out of 16,761 women. Most likely, we will hear of more amazing accomplishments in this inductee’s future.

Mount Morris Central School District