Alumni Spotlight: Jenna Barnett making her mark as a runner for Glenville

Feb. 13---- Copy Link — Facebook — LinkedIn — Share on X GLENVILLE—If the name Jenna Barnett sounds familiar, you've probably watched her blaze the trails and track, or score over 1, 000 points for Trinity Christian on the court in the past.

Barnett continued her athletic career as a distance runner for Glenville State University as a member of both the cross-country and track and field teams, and is making some noise as a sophomore for the Pioneers.

"The thing that has grown the most is my mentality, " Barnett said. "My freshman through junior years of high school, I just wanted to have fun. I never took training seriously ; I just wanted to see how fast I could run in a season and then switch gears to play basketball. My senior year, my mindset switched completely, and I knew that this was something that I wanted to pursue completely at the next level."

Barnett opened her career with Glenville with a fourth-place finish at the West Liberty Invitational and competed in six events in 2024, including the Division II Atlantic Regional (88th place).

Her most impactful performances, though, have come on the track for the Pioneers. As a freshman, Barnett placed fifth in the 3k steeplechase and 10th in the 5k, at the MEC Outdoor Championships. She also finished 11th in the mile and 14th in the 3k, at the MEC Indoor Championships.

"Going into my freshman year, that transition from high school to college both academically and athletically was hard for me, " she said. "I felt like I had failed in a lot of aspects in the sense that I had missed out on my goals and all of the things I had wanted to achieve for myself. I didn't adjust exactly how I pictured in my mind.

I knew going into my sophomore season that I would do everything I could to never feel that way again. I never wanted to feel like I had let myself down, and if I failed, it would be because I had done everything I could."

She's off to a solid start in year two, with a victory in the 5000-meter race at the Jewel City Invitational in Huntington last Saturday. She crossed the finish line in a time of 17:47.12, becoming only the second woman in program history to break 18 minutes in the event. Barnett finished ahead of five MEC opponents and two Division I runners in the race, earning her honors as the Female Pioneer of the Week for GSU women's athletics.

Personally, I try to maintain momentum and ensure things carry over by staying fit, " Barnett said. "Running is such a unique sport in that there is never really an off-season. It was difficult to adjust to running in the winter at first. My coach (Dan Myers) always tells me, 'This time two years ago you would've been playing a basketball game, ' and sometimes I have to remind myself of that when I'm competing. To not put so much pressure on myself and to understand that my body is capable of this now."

Barnett was also a USA Track and Field Cross-Country Association All-Academic selection, helping the Pioneer women to the highest overall team GPA in the country.

As she continues on into her sophomore season on the track, Barnett says she has reevaluated some of her recent goals and will focus on one thing in the near future.

"As of right now, my only goal is to run fast, " she said.