2016 Cross Country Roster
Luke Jelen
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Height:
- 5-11
- Hometown:
- Sioux Falls, S.D.
- Prev School:
- Lipscomb
Cross Country Personal Bests
8K: 25:43.1
Sept. 16, 2016 - VT Alumni Invite
Blacksburg, Va.
10K: 32:34.6
Nov. 11, 2016 - NCAA Southeast Regional Championship
Earlysville, Va.
Big South Cross Country Championship (8K)
2015 (Spartanburg, S.C.): 20th place, 26:02.82
2016 (Swannanoa, N.C.): 13th place, 26:25.23
NCAA Southeast Regional Championship (10K)
2016 (Earlysville, Va.): 142nd place, 32:34.6
Top Track Times at Liberty
800: 1:54.08
1,500: 3:53.09
Mile: 4:21.03
3K: 8:57.20
2016 Cross Country (R-Jr.)
• Finished 13th at the Big South Championship, serving as the Flames' fifth scorer
• Came in 142nd in his NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championship debut, with a 10K time of 32:34.6
• Lowered his 8K best to 25:43.1 at the VT Alumni Invite, placing 23rd
2016 Outdoor Track & Field (R-So.)
• Sixth-place finisher in the Big South 1,500 final
• Set new personal bests for the 800 (1:54.62 – Liberty Twilight Qualifier), 1,500 (3:56.46 – Big South Triangular) and 3K (8:57.20 – Big South Triangular)
2015-16 Indoor Track & Field (R-So.)
• Ran the anchor leg for the Flames' runner-up distance medley relay team at the Big South meet, while also finishing 11th in the mile
• Won the mile at the Liberty Quad in a season-best time of 4:21.89
2015 Cross Country (R-So.)
• Posted a 20th-place finish (seventh on the team) at the Big South Championship, clocking a season-best 8K time of 26:02.82
• Made an impressive Liberty cross country debut at the UVa Duals, coming in 11th overall and second among the Flames
• Finished 19th at the Upstate Invitational/Big South Preview
2015 Outdoor Track & Field (R-Fr.)
• Season-best 1,500 time of 3:59.51 was good for eighth place at the Big South meet
• Clocked 1:58.84 for the 800 at the Campbell Invitational
2014-15 Indoor Track & Field (R-Fr.)
• Came in 14th in the Big South mile
• Posted a season-best mile time of 4:21.95 at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup
2014 Cross Country (R-Fr.)
• Did not compete in any races for Liberty
2014 Outdoor Track & Field (Fr.)
• Did not compete in any races for Liberty and was redshirted
2013-14 Indoor Track & Field (Fr.)
• Did not compete in any races after enrolling at Liberty for the spring 2014 semester and was redshirted
Previous School
• Attended Lipscomb for his first semester of college (fall 2013) and ran cross country for the Bisons
• Ran three races before suffering a season-ending injury, including a 5K time of 16:49.4 at the Belmont Opener and an 8K clocking of 26:42.5 at the Commodore Classic
• Granted a medical hardship waiver for the season
Prep
• Graduated from Lincoln High School
• Helped his team win the 2012 South Dakota AA state title with a fourth-place individual finish
• 2013 state runner-up at 3,200 meters and the 4 x 800 relay, while placing fifth in the 1,600
• Top high school times included 1:56.6 in the 800, 4:22 in the 1,600, 9:29 in the 3,200 and 15:41 in the 5K
Personal
• Son of Dale and Nancy Jelen
• Older brother Jarvis ran cross country and track & field at Liberty and currently coaches at Abilene Christian
• Older sisters Heather and Kayla ran cross country and track & field at Bethel
• Sport management major
• Birthday is on Feb. 28
