“Just finishing the race,” Muscogee (Creek) citizen Jerika Coon said as she explained what is on her mind as she runs the 5K for Sapulpa High School.
The SHS senior signed her letter of intent to compete in both cross country and track at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.
“I’m signing with them because their school fit me,” Coon said. “Instead of like two places I can run at, they had a variety of like five or six.”
Coon started running in her junior year at SHS after coming off an ACL injury.
“It was pretty rough,” she said.
She completed 250 miles for the varsity cross country team during her junior year and doubled that number her senior year with 500 miles.
Coon was named the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Athlete of the Month in 2016 and SHS female winner of the Wendy’s High School Heisman in 2017.
She served as senior co-captain for the SHS cross country team and has been a 4-year varsity letterman in track.
Coon has also served as the girls’ captain for the tennis team and a member of varsity girls’ basketball.
During the signing ceremony, SHS school administrator said Coon is the first student athlete to participate in varsity in four different sports during her years of working with the school.
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This story originally appeared in MvskokeMedia.com
Reprinted with permission.
