Women's Track & Field | May 11, 2017
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan track and field team hosts the 2017 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships beginning on Thursday at the Kanley Track and Field Complex. Kanley, and Western Michigan University, have been home to senior Jordan Anderson for six years and she will get one final chance to run around that track this weekend.
Anderson, one of WMU's two sixth-year seniors, is in the midst of the best outdoor season of her career in her final go-round. The Union City, Mich., native has personal-bests in four events, including her specialty, the 800-meter run.
Anderson came to Western Michigan in 2012 with the hopes of becoming the next in a long line of successful 800 runners, but Anderson's journey ended up being a long battle with stress fractures and frustration. However, without those trying times and her perseverance she wouldn't have the chance to compete in the first Outdoor MAC Championship at WMU in nearly two decades.
"Everything happens for a reason," said Anderson. "I'm so excited to get to go around our home track one more time with my teammates. And without the hardships, I wouldn't have gotten that chance."
The injuries were never anything too major, according to Anderson. But they were enough to keep her from participating.
"Words can't describe it," Anderson said about dealing with the frustration of not being able to compete. "Coming in your freshman year, you come in with dreams. Your coach believes in you and you get really excited. To be knocked over once you go 'Okay. Everyone goes through their battles.' But year after year, as soon as you get knocked back down again it's hard to keep believing and hard to keep the faith. The frustration is unbelievable."
Anderson relied on her family, teammates and head coach Kelly Lycan to keep her going.
"Coach Lycan believed in me from day one and that belief never wavered through it all. He helped me through it all and made it a journey to remember.'
One sticking point was when Lycan showed her a motivation video and the message of "It's not how hard you fall; it's how you get back up" really stuck with her.
Anderson's comeback started during the 2016 indoor season. She was the top middle distance runner for the Broncos that season and just missed out making the finals in the 800-meter run. But she was also a mainstay on the 4x400-meter relay and won her first career MAC title after her and her teammates ran a time of 3:40.27 to take the win.
She had to sit out during the 2017 indoor season, having exhausted her eligibility, and took off during outdoor. Right out of the gate she ran a new personal-best in the 800 at 2:10.30 in the first meet of the season at the Crimson Tide Invitational. Last weekend she nearly matched it by running 2:10.36 at the Kentucky Relays. Anderson enters Friday's preliminaries ranked eight on the MAC's performance list.
Fans can come catch Anderson, who also maintains a 4.0 GPA in occupational therapy, and the rest of the Broncos beginning on Thursday. The gate opens at 9 a.m. Tickets for Thursday and Friday's sessions are $5, while Saturday's is $10. Fans can buy a three-day pass for just $15. Any student from a MAC school with a valid student ID will get in for free.
