by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
After suffering injuries in a 2002 car accident, Jacquelyne Gallegos was not supposed to be able to run again.
Three years and an NCAA Championship appearance later, the senior cross country runner said she plans to keep shocking people this season.
It has been a long road for Gallegos to return to her status as one of the best collegiate runners in the nation. A year before the accident, Gallegos qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships and was one of the fastest women track runners - as a true freshman.
After the injury, however, Gallegos struggled to regain her old form. After hard work and patience, Gallegos said the 2005 season, her final season, will bring nothing but positive results.
"I am really excited. I don't know if I'm fully healthy, but I feel like I'm in better shape than I've been in a while," she said.
Head cross country coach Matt Henry, who has coached Gallegos her entire collegiate career, said he is also excited about her final season.
"I'm hoping for the best for Jackie," he said. "She has had a lot of bad luck, but I'm hoping we can keep her healthy, and I'm looking for big things from her this year."
Henry said part of why he and many others have high expectations for Gallegos is because of what she accomplished last year.
Gallegos qualified for the NCAA Championship meet by placing eighth at the Mountain Region Championships.
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She said that race helped bring back her confidence and was fulfilling to her.
"I was pretty excited because one of my goals was to make it back to nationals," she said.
She continued to climb back the following indoor and outdoor track seasons. She finished in the top three in five races during the indoor season. At the Mountain West Conference Championships, Gallegos ran the anchor leg of the distance medley relay and led the team to a second-place finish and a school record time of 12:07. In the outdoor season she was named to the All-MWC team in the 1,500-meter run.
After a year like that and strong training for this upcoming cross country season, Gallegos said she is in good enough shape to have a quick start. More importantly, she hopes to have a great finish and be able to make another showing at the NCAA Championships.
"It's really important," she said. "It's one of my goals for the season to get back there."
Henry said he likes what he has seen from Gallegos in her preparation for this season and expects her to return to the big stage.
"She worked hard this summer, like she always does, and I think she is capable and willing to have a great year," he said.
Gallegos said she likes the way the team is shaping up.
"I think right now, knowing who is on the team and how we look, I think it will be the best team we've ever had," she said.
