NEWS CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO - STC senior Barrett Jesina (seated) officially signs to run at Central College in Pella. He is joined by (L to R): his father Jeff Jesina, his brother Brady Jesina, and his mother Maggie Jesina.

As the old saying goes, “Change is hard.” Any kind of change. STC senior Barrett Jesina is facing significant change this year, as he graduates in the spring and heads off to college in the fall. But if the past is an indicator of what is to come, Jesina will handle the changes exceptionally well.

On Feb. 5, Jesina announced his intent to continue his education and running career at Central College in Pella. For him, the choice came down to attending Iowa State University and not running, or going to Central and continuing to compete.

“I thought about it a lot and I realized that I just didn’t feel like I was ready to be done running,” Jesina said. “I feel like I still have a lot of room to improve and that I want to learn from and train with a great group of guys at Central.”

Joe Dunham is Central’s head cross country coach and associate head track and field coach. He is entering his 17th year in the Dutch program. Under Dunham’s leadership, the cross country team has won a pair of conference titles and have had 34 all-conference performances in men’s races. He has also had six men earn all-American honors. Just this past winter, both the men’s and women’s track and field teams finished second in the American Rivers Conference indoor meet. Dunham’s leadership was key in Jesina’s decision to attend Central. “When I first visited Central, I really liked Coach Dunham,” he said. “From the moment I spoke with him I just felt like something clicked.”

Jesina also liked what he saw from his future Dutch teammates.

STC senior Barrett Jesina participates in cross country this past fall.

“After meeting with the team, I really liked the guys and I feel like it would be a great fit. I reflected on the choice for a while and it just feels right. It feels like home,” he said.

Central will be gaining a highly accomplished runner in Jesina. During his time at STC, Jesina was a three-time state qualifier in cross country. He qualified twice individually — in his junior and senior seasons. During his sophomore campaign, he joined teammates Holden Schirmer, Braxton Rohrs, Tommy Tyynismaa, Cade Rosenberger, and James Brant as the first runners in STC’s history to qualify for state as a team.

Jesina notes that accomplishment as one of the highlights of his high school career.

“My sophomore year when we qualified as a team in cross country — that season was incredible,” he said.

In track and field, Jesina qualified for state last season in the 3200 meters. But perhaps just as impressive, Jesina has done it all while navigating the natural hardships of change. At the beginning of his junior year, Jesina was coming off of the team-qualification in cross country. But that fall, he arrived on the first day of practice without any of his state teammates. Shirmer, Rohrs, Tyynismaa, Rosenberger, and Brant had all graduated.

STC senior Barrett Jesina runs the 3200 at last season's STC Invite.

“That fall going into cross country was hard,” Jesina said. “But it was also motivation for me. I felt like it was my turn to carry on what those guys had started.”

In addition, during his time at STC, Jesina has walked through two head coaching changes. Head cross country coach Robert Tyynismaa retired and head track coach Danny Mayo stepped down — both after Jesina’s junior campaign. But once again, Jesina rolled with the changes.

“Through the coaching changes, there were times when it was difficult,” Jesina said. “But it has honestly been pretty seamless. Our current coaches are very knowledgeable and we athletes have adjusted.”

With his choice to attend Central, Jesina will be reunited with Brant, his former teammate at STC. Brant is currently in his sophomore season running for the Dutch cross country and track and field programs. When Jesina visited Central for an overnight visit, Brant was his official host. “When James hosted me, we sat down for over an hour and we just talked. We talked about my priorities, values, and where I want to be. It really helped me decide where I wanted to go,” Jesina said. “James is always someone I’ve looked up to, and to have him there for the first couple of years will be great.”

Jesina also looks back fondly on all of his STC state-qualifying teammates.

Barrett Jesina (second from far left) is surrounded by his cross country teammates when they qualified for state as a team in the fall of 2023.

“I probably wouldn’t have fallen in love with running if it had not been for those guys. Plus, they have always been there for me — checking in on me and encouraging me in my running,” he said.

Before Jesina heads south for Pella in the fall, however, he has one more track season wearing Trojan blue. When asked about his goals for this spring under head coach Edgar Tapia, Jesina looked to his performance in the 2-mile race.

“I want to run under 10 minutes and make it back to state in that race,” Jesina said.

He also noted the 1600 and relays.

“In the mile, I just want to have fun with it and see how I can do. I don’t know if I can get to the point of qualifying for state in it but I just want to have fun with it. And I want to see what we can do in the 4×800. We’ve got a good group of guys there,” he said.

Following the season, Jesina will walk through the normal senior schedule of graduation, graduation parties, summer months with a summer job, and preparing to pack his bags for Pella. As he goes, he leaves a legacy of not only an accomplished runner, but also of a young man who walked through significant changes with patience, determination, and an exceptionally positive attitude.

As he trades in his Trojan blue for Central red, there is little doubt he will navigate that particular change with an equal amount of the same qualities.