TUCSON, Ariz. – Freshman newcomer Jennie Baragar-Petrash didn't waste time getting herself initiated with the Arizona cross country team. Baragar-Petrash is a graduate of Grant Park High School in Winnipeg, Canada. It was here where she made her mark as a runner, and as a 15- year-old in the U20 Canadian Junior Cross Country Championships and have the race of her life.
"It was a 6 kilometer race. The race consisted of hills, snow and thick mud that would suck you in with every step," Baragar-Petrash said.
At just 15, she was significantly younger than the rest of the field. Instead of using that as an excuse, Baragar-Petrash was able to use her age as motivation.
"I was only 15 at the time racing up against older women and I knew I had the potential to make the team, but it was a matter of how much I believed that I could do it," she said.
She believed in herself and created many more believers after the race, as she would go on to finish second overall in the race, earning her the honor of competing for her native country in the Pan Am and World Championships later on in the spring.
"It was an honor to be able to represent my country on the world stage level of cross country," she said.
Baragar-Petrash credited her mindset for helping her achieve this honor.
"One of the main mindsets I used throughout this race was to just think of mind over matter," Baragar-Petrash said. "No matter what the circumstances were throughout the race whether it be snow or mud, I just had to realize that the body will do what the mind believes it can do."
That mindset is something she has used to check her biggest goals off her list. The first was to compete for Team Canada, something she has done twice now and is looking to accomplish again this upcoming spring.
"In a few weeks I will be headed back to Canada to compete at the Canadian Cross Country Championships once again trying to make my third national team," Baragar-Petrash said. "I am excited and have confidence going into nationals with all of the great training I have been getting here at the U of A these past couple months. It will be a competitive race, but I am looking forward to it because every race is an experience within itself."
All of this has lead Baragar-Petrash to being a significant factor on the cross country team. As a freshman she has been able to make an immediate impact. In five races this season, she has finished in the top-four on the team in every race to go along with two top-10 overall finishes.
She will look to continue that success this Friday at the Western Regional cross country meet in Sacramento, California.
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