In the middle of June, cross-country head coach Robert Johnson was in a conundrum.
Two coaches, Andy and Maurica Powell, had just left for the University of Washington. Plus, two men and two women chose to follow them to Seattle. Johnson needed to find new coaches for both the men and women teams soon, for fear of falling behind in summer training.
It’s hard to find two qualified coaches ready to coach at Oregon on sudden notice, and it’s another to know if they can benefit and gel with the team in a timely manner. Johnson needed to get an athlete’s perspective.
That’s where Jessica Hull came in.
“She was someone that I leaned heavily on doing this hiring process,” Johnson said. “We shared a lot of information and stayed in contact. I bounced things off of her and she bounced things off of me about things she was looking for and things she thought would be good for the team.”
With input from Hull, Johnson hired Helen Lehman-Winters from the University of San Francisco. And for Hull, it payed off, as she capped off the best season of her career with a third place finish at nationals in Wisconsin on Saturday.
Hull, who was considered primarily a track specialist, is the only senior on the team to spend all four years of eligibility competing for the Ducks.
After winning the first two races of the season, it appeared as though Susan Ejore would be the team’s front runner. At the Pre-Nationals Invitational in Wisconsin, Hull flipped the script and won. She went on to place second at the Pac-12 Championships and the West Regional.
It’s been quite the jump in the results for Hull. Last season, Hull was 33rd at the West Regional where she was second this year. And at the 2017 NCAA Championships, she finished 93rd. The new formula this season has been finding a coach who could tap into her strengths, work on her weaknesses and new positive team chemistry.
Hull had a better season than her friends and former teammates Katie Rainsberger and Lilli Burdon, both of whom transferred to Washington with the Powell’s.
Although Hull had established a routine in her three years working with Maurica Powell, she was willing to open up to new methods under Lehman-Winters. Hull explained that Lehman-Winters added a creative component to the workouts, and she rarely repeat any exercises.
“She’s a kid in a candy store, because the things she’s been asked haven’t been asked of her before,” Johnson explained.
Part of Oregon’s success this year was due to how close the team became under a new coach so quickly. Those successful relationships started at practice, where conversations were not always focused on running. School, class assignments, even brunch on the weekends are talked about.
“No one is so one-track minded,” Hull said. “Everyone’s very interested in getting to know each other beyond what we are as a runner.”
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