FARMINGTON — When Sully Jackson runs with other collegiate runners in a national championship meet Friday, Nov. 8, he wants to inspire other students.
Jackson, a 2013 Mt. Blue High School graduate, is a freshman at the University of Maine at Machias, where he’s studying environmental sustainability management.
He qualified for a place at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association’s National Championship Cross Country Meet being held at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.
“I hope that my venture at nationals will bring excitement, energy and interest to potential students with a passion to run looking for a small-college experience,” Jackson said about his experience at UMM in an email.
During his four years at Mt. Blue, Jackson was a member of the Mt. Blue cross country team serving as captain his senior year. He was also a four-year member of the track and field team at Mt. Blue and a two-year member of the Nordic skiing team.
The transition from high school cross country to the collegiate level involves longer races, 8 kilometers (5 miles) compared to 5K (3.2 miles) in high school, but his work at Mt. Blue has helped prepare him, he said.
“Having trained at Mt. Blue with Kelley Cullenberg and Brian Kelley, I have a very strong basis of what serious training looks like,” he said. “This has helped to make the transition to collegiate running easier.”
Jackson qualified for Friday’s national competition at the Yankee Small College Conference held in October in Concord, N.H. To qualify for the nationals, he needed to place in the top ten. He took the seventh-place spot, he said.
“There are 86 colleges that are part of the USCAA,” he said. “Each college with a qualifying individual or team may send their athletes to the National Championship.”
He will be joined in Syracuse by fellow teammate and qualifier Paige Weichman, who will represent the UMM Clippers in the women’s race.
Jackson’s parents, Christine and Kevin Jackson of Wilton, will travel to Syracuse to support their son in this meet, he said.
The athletes were encouraged to seek sponsorships to defray the expenses involved in attending this meet — about $2,000 for the two individuals. In the short time since qualifying, Jackson has raised funds by holding a bake sale and bottle drive.
Information concerning sponsorship efforts can be received by contacting UMM Athletic Director, Amy Fritz at [email protected] or 207-255-1290. Sponsorships can be made directly online at https://secure.touchnet.com/C22921_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=312&SINGLESTORE=true. Select “Cross Country” as the designee.
A follow-up message to Fritz regarding any online sponsorships noting that it should be used for the National Cross Country Meet would be helpful and appreciated, Jackson’s mother said in an email.
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