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WVU’s Jessica O’Connell heading to Rio Olympics

By Matthew Peaslee

Feb 6, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers cheerleaders and fans wait during a foul shot during the second half against the Baylor Bears at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers cheerleaders and fans wait during a foul shot during the second half against the Baylor Bears at the WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Rio Olympics received another Mountaineer competitor this week as Jessica O’Connell was chosen for the 5,000-meter run.

The former WVU long distance runner will join Sarah Anne-Brault at the Rio Olympics. The tandem  will be two of 65 athletes chosen to represent the country of Canada in track and field events.

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According to WVUsports.com, at the Canadian Olympic Trials on July 7, O’Connell placed third out of 17 runners in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:00.90, just 0.48 seconds shy of winning the race. Andrea Seccafien won, crossing the finish line in 16:00.42, and Sasha Gollish took second with a time of 16:00.65.

O’Connell’s next step after a stellar career with the Mountaineers was to try out for the Rio Olympics. Qualifying, she said, was just the cherry on top.

“To work for something for so long and to have it fall into place,” O’Connell to WVIllustrated. “Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps because it’s not just a matter of training hard, lots of people train hard, it’s just about being lucky and being at the right place at the right time.”

Her right time was just what was needed to vault her into a qualifying spot. O’Connell has built up her endurance over the years and honed her craft with the Mountaineers for four seasons.

She graduated from WVU in 2012 and being named an All-American three times.

According to WVIllustrated, her first All-America accolade came in 2010 as a member of the distance medley relay team that finished in eighth place (11:16.39) at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2011, O’Connell earned second team All-America honors, as she placed 16th in the 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Championships. Her third honor came in 2012, as she placed 19th in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships.

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Runners O’Connell and Anne-Brault are not the only former Mountaineers who will be heading to the Rio Olympics. In fact, there are two other Canadians joining the fray.

On the soccer pitch, Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence will be representing both West Virginia and their home country of Canada. The pair has helped strengthen the Canadian pipeline to WVU.

Plus, there is a former WVU women’s basketball team member who will be on the court at the Rio Olympics. Yelena Leuchanka will be playing for her home country of Belarus.

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Anytime a Mountaineer is able to make it big, especially in a lesser-known sport, it’s a grand occurrence. Only those in peak athletic condition have a chance to be known as a world champion. For a school like WVU to have this many true competitors is an honor and a great privilege.

WVU fans, here and abroad, should take notice and be proud of the talent that was brewing in Morgantown. The small town in North Central West Virginia has a strong footprint in Brazil this summer.

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