For being only a sophomore, Pope John Paul's middle distance dandy Jackie Areson has been across the country. She might be young in age, but the Palm Beach area star is quite familiar with high profile running. Fresh off an 800 win at the 2A State Finals, and a victorious 4 x800 meter relay- she's upbeat and smiling. Earlier in the spring, Areson ran a 4:53 anchor at the Arcadia Invitational in California. In addition, she was an Indoor All-American at the Nike Indoor Classic by taking fifth in the mile.
The reserved, soft spoken and polite youngster has shined brightly this spring despite a disturbing occurrence at her regional meet. Areson was disqualified from the mile for having her shirt untucked. But, this obstacle drove her to see how fast she could run. "At least I have the 800 to look forward to," she recalls telling herself afterwards. In the 800, Jackie put it behind her at eased to a victory.
She was able to push her hindrance aside and advance to state, but there is another piece to her storybook campaign. Her teammate, junior Nicole Schappert, gives her company to run alongside on easy runs, workouts, and even in the forefront of Florida and national distance races. Competitive, but the two are a tandem that will give the state fits, again, come next fall.
But, her track season is long from over. She's on a quest for a second chance for mile glory. Her slate will include the Florida Milers Club at Oak Hall, Golden South, Adidas Outdoor, and Junior Nationals. "I'm training really hard. I want to break 4:50," says the sophomore.
Her mother helps out with the discipline required for running. "I couldn't do it without her," she adds. Jackie has improved dramatically this spring, but admits she even thought she wanted to run the 3200 at the beginning of the season. Areson dipped under 11 minutes, 10:53, although the middle distances are her top priority now. Areson admits that the 3200 was a little boring for her liking. But, Jackie dived straight into 800 stardom, but the mile might be her niche. Her upcoming races will give her the opportunity for a sub 4:50 mile.
Although cross country is a bit long off for Jackie, but her track times should translate into a cross country breakthrough. She's eager to improve, but she's especially pumped for her team. "It's definitely a lot of fun. We are so close. I'm excited to see how much our team will improve from cross country to track," commented Jackie on her close knit Pope John Paul team.
For now, Jackie has more improving of her own to do as she squares off against the top milers in the country during the next month.