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UT-Arlington junior Jodi Hulett keeps surprising herself.
Five years ago, the Arlington native didn't believe she was good enough to compete in college. Then when she first ran for the Mavericks, she didn't believe she could compete with the top runners.
And after she had qualified for last week's NCAA regional meet in Waco, she still didn't think she could finish high enough to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships.
Hulett's instincts proved wrong again. She placed eighth at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Nov. 11 to reserve herself a berth in Monday's NCAA Championship race in Terre Haute, Ind..
She ran a personal-best time of 20 minutes, 53.3 seconds over the six-kilometer course and became the first UTA runner in eight years to qualify for nationals.
"I was secretly hoping to get an at-large invitation to nationals, but I never, ever thought I'd automatically qualify," Hulett said. "Going into the regional, I thought I'd finish 15th or 16th."
Hulett is having the success she missed while running for Arlington High School. In high school, she wasn't up to the level of competitors such as Carroll's Miranda Walker and Brooke Upshaw or Lamar's Rachael Forish.
At UTA, Hulett found a level of coaching knowledge that gradually brought out her talent. She also seems well-suited to the longer distances that athletes run at the collegiate level. College cross country races are almost double the length of UIL courses.
Hulett also appears to have found a new level of confidence with her regional finish. In Waco, she used a strong finish to pass Walker, among other runners.
Forish, running for SMU, won in 20:30.4. Upshaw, who like Walker competes for Arkansas, placed sixth, and Walker was ninth, less than one second behind Hulett. All four runners will compete again Monday in Indiana.
"I have a lot more faith in my talent now," Hulett said. "I definitely have to keep working, but now I feel like I belong in the front pack."
IN THE KNOW
NCAA Cross Country Championships
When: MondayWhere: LaVern Gibson Championship Course, Terre Haute, Ind.
Schedule: Women's race starts at 11 a.m.; men will start at 12:15 p.m.
Who: 31 men's teams, 31 women's teams and 38 individuals who were not part of a qualifying team. Texas teams and individuals that qualified
Schools: Texas men, Baylor women, Texas Tech women
Men: Kevin Chelimo, Texas Tech; Stephen Samoei, UT-El Paso; Shadrack Songok, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Samuel Kosgei and Francis Kasagule, Lamar; Brian McKinstry, Texas A&M.
Women: Rachael Forish, SMU; Merideth Snow, Texas A&M; Renee Graham, Lamar; Jodi Hulett, UT-Arlington.
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