Back in the fall of 2009, a freshman from Potosi by the name of Sarah Jacobsen was ripping through meets; a win at Hancock, another at Paul Enke, another at her home meet, and again at Borgia. In the spring of 2010 it was another freshman girl raising attention. Kaitlyn Fischer of Herculaneum took both the 1600m and 3200m in Class 3 as a freshman with Jacobsen coming in second in the 800m. Since then, both have grown and continued to be two of the top distance runners in the state. Fischer has collected numerous state titles including one this past fall. Jacobsen, who has stood atop the podium at state has garnered PR's of 2:16.67 and 5:06.79 for 800 meters and 1600 meters. "I have learned from my high school career is its not all about the gold medal at the end. What matters most is doing your best and always trying to improve. I would rather run fast than have a gold medal around my neck." As their high school careers wind down, the two standouts, who's schools are separated by less than ten miles, will be getting closer over the next few months as they both have recently committed to attend the University of Missouri. "When I went on my official visit I loved everything about the school and the town" said Jacobsen. "The phone calls with Coach Lynn compared to my others. I think he will be a great coach for me and I am excited," said Fischer. Jacobsen, who committed a few days before Fischer, made the choice a bit easier for the Herculaneum star. "Sarah committed a couple of days before me and it made me feel more confident about saying yes." The two looked at different schools across the Midwest with Jacobsen considered Missouri Southern, Iowa State, and Southern Illinois while Fischer looked at Oklahoma State, Illinois State, Iowa State, and Kansas University.
Fischer and Jacobsen, who have only raced a handful of times over the past three and a half years have begun developing a relationship. "My relationship with Kaitlin has just developed over the past few months. I always knew her through racing but never really got to know her as a person. We went on our visits to Mizzou together and I got to know her. I am so excited to get to be her teammate." said Sarah. "Sarah is awesome. I think we have very similar mentalities and our work ethic is the same. We never had many races together but I know that we will make each other better for our college careers, so yes I am excited. Hopefully we will be rooming together!" said Kaitlyn. When asked what she was looking forward to most about Mizzou, Sarah said, " I am looking forward to finally having a team. All throughout high school I had only one teammate to train with; we never had a team. I think in the sport of distance running, a team aspect is important and makes everyone better." She will certainly have a great partner in Fischer as well as numerous other Missouri HS graduates such as Sam Garrett (Rock Bridge) Liz Reida (Kickapoo) and Courtney Wood (Neosho).
With the track season quickly approaching, both have their goals set high. Jacobsen wants to clinch her first state championships while Fischer wants to run 10:40 for 3200m and sub 5 minutes for 1600m. With their college choices behind them, the two are ready to focus on achieving their goals. "I could stop worrying about my decision all the time and focus on my training and senior year activities. " said Sarah. "It's a weight off my shoulders and I can also now look forward to it more." said Kaitlyn
More Coverage
Kaitlyn Fischer's Athlete Profile
Sarah Jacobsen's Athlete Profile
University of Missouri Team Page