Run West, Young Woman Former Rogers Distance Star Leaves Alabama For Stanford
Being No. 1 isn’t enough for Jessica Fry.
A three-time All-America distance runner for the University of Alabama, the former Rogers stand-out has transferred to Stanford.
“My team deteriorated at Alabama,” she said. “I’ve been the No. 1 runner for a couple of years. I was just tired of running by myself. It was time to find a team that can take me places.”
Fry finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run (16 minutes, 20 seconds) at the NCAA track meet in June. As a freshman, she was fourth indoors at 5,000 meters (16:04). Last fall, in her sophomore year of cross country (also 5,000 meters), she earned All-America honors for finishing 24th. She also made the NCAA cross country finals as a freshman.
“We had a really strong team as a freshman, I wasn’t always No. 1… ,” Fry said. “When your support crew leaves or graduates, it’s not fun anymore. The best thing was to find another team, find a place you can do well.”
Teammate Becky Wells, a North Dakota native who won a national junior championship in Spokane several years ago, transferred to Florida last year. Wells edged Fry in a national cross country meet in Missoula when Fry was a senior.
Fry will have two years of cross country eligibility and three for indoor and outdoor track at Stanford. She red-shirted on the track twice because of injuries, her freshman year outdoors and sophomore year indoors.
She considered Florida because of the coach and Wells but picked Stanford to be closer to home.
“Becky is doing real well, she made a good choice for her,” Fry said. “That’s what I’m doing for me. (Alabama officials) didn’t take it real well, that’s life. If you can’t bring people in to support the people and athletes you have, you have nothing to build on.”
Alabama had no recruits last year, she said.
While she is parting company with Wells, she is joining former rival Sarna Renfro of Bellarmine Prep. Renfro won the State AAA cross country meet and the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in the State AAA track meet as a junior and senior with Fry runnerup on four of those occasions and third on another.
“We’re really good friends, I don’t think it’s going to be a rivalry, there’s not going to be any tension,” Fry said. “I was two seconds ahead of her at nationals. That’s not a lot, but hey, I beat her.”
Zickler to transfer
Former Ferris track standout Shelley Zickler will transfer from Idaho to Butler University in Indianapolis this fall.
Zickler, who redshirted last spring during her second year at UI, graduated from Ferris in 1994 after establishing a school record in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 48.53 seconds.
She ran a 1,500-meter provisional NCAA qualifying time of 4 minutes, 48.53 seconds at UI.
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