2009 Outlook

Jesse Adams made good progress last season while he transitioned to collegiate running. He is expected to push the more seasoned runners this season for a spot in the top seven. “Jesse started out slow last season but made good steady progress throughout the entire year,” Coach Jay Dirksen said. “Like any freshman, he just needed time to make the transition from high school to college.”

2008 (Freshman)

Adams started his collegiate cross country career with an 11th-place finish at the Creighton/UNO Classic, contributing to a team title for the men’s squad. Adams then finished 60th (27:13.1) at the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational and 33rd (27:01) at the South Dakota State Classic, helping the men’s team bring home two more team titles. The Ogallala, Neb., native ended the year at the Big 12 Championships, running a time of 27:00.6 to finish 82nd.

High School (Ogallala)

Adams earned three Nebraska Class B state championships at Ogallala High School under Coach Shane Fruit. Adams made trips to the state cross country meet in 2005, 2006 and 2007, helping Ogallala capture a team title in 2006 along with a pair of third-place finishes.

Adams also excelled on the track, as he earned two gold and three silver medals at the state meet. As a sophomore in 2006, he finished second in the 3,200-meters (9:58.29). He returned as a junior in 2007 to win the event (9:34.28), and then defended his title (9:36.52) in 2008. He also earned runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008 in the 1,600 meters.

Personal