The legacy Jarynn Hockett is building at Chanute didn’t happen overnight—it’s been six years in the making. “I will also be the first girl to complete six years of running cross country at Chanute since the program at the middle school started my seventh-grade year,” she said. “I would like for people to know me as being a kind and funny person that put in a lot of effort with everything I’ve done.” 

Her offseason this year looks completely different from last summer. “Personally, this summer I’ve been able to run and fully prepare for the season since last summer I had a stress fracture,” she said. Now healthy, she’s locked in on what she wants: “My personal goal is to run under a 22-minute 5K this season.” 

Last season, Jarynn was one of three Chanute girls to make it to state—a major step forward for the program. “In years past, we have only had one girl qualify for state. Last season, we had three and I hope we can keep that up,” she said. This year’s goal is team-focused: “I think our main goal is to get enough girls out to make a full team.” 

Jarynn brings energy and experience to the squad, and she’s already seeing signs of a strong season. “Our strength right now is that we have already started training and hoping to not have any setbacks when the season starts.” 

“I think last season I played kinda the underdog,” she added. “I wasn’t able to perform well for a while, then at regionals I came out of nowhere and got a minute PR.” 

Whether she’s racing or preparing, her discipline never wavers. “Preparing for a run is pretty important to me—I make sure I’m hydrated and ate something light,” she said. “My idea of a hype song is a little different—I like to listen to ‘Vienna’ by Billy Joel to help calm my nerves and not get too anxious.” 

Cross country might be an individual sport on paper—but Jarynn Hockett is running for something much bigger.