2017 Cross Country Roster

Jessa Perkinson

  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Roseburg, Ore.
  • High School Roseburg

Biography

2017 Outdoor Track: Voted the Cascade Conference Women’s Athlete of the Year for all sports, SOU’s first since 1999… Won her second national title, taking down the 5K field at the NAIA Championships in 17:24.55, just hours after she placed sixth in the 1,500 in 4:33.28 for SOU’s first-ever top-8 finish in the race – earning her eighth and ninth overall All-America plaques and becoming SOU’s career leading scorer at the outdoor national meet (29 points)… Captured a pair of titles at the CCC Championships – the 1,500 in 4:39.14, and the 5K in a personal-best time of 16:37.47 that set meet and school record… Broke her own 1,500 school-record time at the Oregon State High Performance Meet in 4:30.11… On the final NAIA lists, ranked 1st in the 5K and 6th in the 1,500… Also a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete and a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-America 2nd team.

2017 Indoor Track: Earned All-America plaudits twice at the NAIA Indoor Championships – first placing 4th in the mile in 4:58.16, and a few hours later running the mile portion for the Raiders’ distance medley relay team and pushing them from 5th to 2nd during her leg, giving SOU its best-ever women’s relay finish at a national meet.

2016 Cross Country: Finished 3rd at the NAIA Championships – topping her old benchmark for the best placing in SOU history – in a 5K time of 17:13.5, becoming the Raiders’ first ever two-time women’s XC All-American and leading them to seventh in the team standings… Was an All-Cascade Conference performer for the second year in a row with runner-up honors in 18:26.9 at the CCC Championships… Won two races during the regular season – a 69-person field at the William Jessup Warrior Invitational (17:13.7) and a 72-person field at the 6K Lewis & Clark Invite (21:49)… Was also 11th of 284 at the University of Washington’s 6K Sundodger Invitational (21:22.0) and 2nd of 103 on a 4,600-meter course at the Ash Creek Invitational (16:53.8)… A Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete and Academic All-CCC team member.

2015-16 SOU All-Sports Award Banquet: Was named the Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year and the Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Year... Her showing at the NAIA Outdoor Championships garnered the Performance of the Year Award, and earned the Sports Information Legacy Award for her overall showing in 15-16.

2016 Outdoor Track: Put together the most distinguished season in Raider women's history by breaking school records in the 1,500 meters (4:33.42), the 5K (17:11.27) and the 10K (36:10.83)... Finished it off by winning the NAIA 10K title in upset fashion on May 26 in Gulf Shores, Ala. -- the eighth in school history and first in a women's distance race -- and two days later captured third place in the 5K final (17:39.31) for her fourth All-America honor of the academic year and the highest individual point total (16) ever for the Raider women, making SOU 20th in the team standings all by herself... Didn't run the 10K for the first time in her career until April 1 at the S.F. State Distance Carnival, where sh broke the school record for the first time (36:14.72)... Broke the 5K school record for the first time on April 22 at the Raider Invitational (17:12.31), and broke it again when she won the Cascade Conference title (17:11.27) on May 14 in Hermiston... Also finished second at the CCC Championships in the 1,500 (4:33.42) with a school-record run... On the overall NAIA list, finished ninth on in the 1,500, sixth in the 5K and fourth in the 10K... Named to the Academic All-CCC team.

2016 Indoor Track: Ran the mile leg for SOU's distance medley relay team, which placed fifth at the NAIA Indoor Championships on March 5 in Johnson City, Tenn., with a time of 12:03.3 for All-America status and the school's highest-ever national finish for a women's relay team.

2015 Cross Country: Became an NAIA All-American for the first time -- and SOU's second for women's XC in the past six seasons -- on Nov. 21 at the NAIA Championships in Charlotte, N.C., where she took 13th place by completing the 5K course in 17:56, leading the Raiders to 14th place as a team... On Nov. 7 in Salem, earned All-Cascade Conference status by leading all Raiders with a seventh-place finish at the conference meet in 18:37.2 at Corban University's 5K course... Was named the CCC women's runner of the week after placing 53rd of 255 at the Stanford Invitational with a 6K time of 22:09.2 on Sept. 26... Took fourth place and was the top NAIA finisher on Oct. 9 at the S.F. State Invitational with a 6K time of 21:47.6, and won the Lewis & Clark Invite in a 112-person field with a 6K time of 21:55.4 on Oct. 17.

2015 Outdoor Track: Placed fourth at the Cascade Conference Championships in the 5,000-meter race (17:11.27)  on May 9 in Ashland, just her second time ever running it on the track... Had season-bests of 4:37.88 in the 1,500 (April 11, Chico State Twilight) and 18:10.16 in the 5K (April 18, Raider Open).

2014 Cross Country: Made her Raider debut at the Cascade Conference Preview Meet on Sept. 19 at Portland's Fernhill Park, placing 12th overall and second on the team with a 5K time of 19:09... Improved her time for the Nov. 8 CCC Championships but placed 19th in 18:57, again at Fernhill Park... Was 178th overall and SOU's fourth scorer at the NAIA Championships on Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kan., completing the 5K course in 19:56 on Nov. 22.

Personal: Born on June 2, 1996 in Roseburg, Ore... Graduated in 2014 from Roseburg High, where she was a three-time all-conference outfielder and all-state as a senior for the softball team and ran competitively for only one season -- cross country as a senior... Teaches Sunday school at Ashland Christian Fellowship... The daughter of Christie and Mack; has an older brother, Taylor... Majoring in psychology.

Historical Player Information

  • 2014Freshman

  • 2015Sophomore

  • 2016Junior

  • 2017Senior