Fifth-year runner Kate Jortberg has continued on an upward trajectory throughout her time as a Jacket. Her improvement culminated in an exceptional performance at the 2024 ACC Championships in outdoor track. She recorded a time of 34:16.53 in the 10,000m, was fifth in the conference and earned second-team all-conference honors. After her successful ACC Championship, Jortberg is hoping to build on her performance heading into the cross country season. “Cross country is my favorite. I like it way more than track and I historically have a lot more success in cross country than I did in track. … So now that I have proven to myself that even though track is not my favorite, I had these really good races, and I proved to myself that I can excel there. I know I can bring that momentum into this cross country season.” Jortberg said. Despite her impressive championship performance, Jortberg has loftier goals than performing well within the conference.
“Indoor and outdoor [track] was really disappointing last season. I was pretty close to the regional cutoff, so even though I was fifth at ACC, the top 48 qualify for regionals. …. So a goal of mine is to get in the top 48 and make it to the NCAA first round regional.” said Jortberg. The track and cross country teams have pushed themselves to new levels of success through friendly competition that fosters an environment of growth. This is best exemplified through Jortberg’s friendly rivalry with fifth year Katy Earwood.
“Katy is third. And then my old teammate, Liz [Galarza], is fourth best. It’s very upsetting that [Earwood] has already used up all of her eligibility in outdoor track… so she won’t be able to race with me. … Last year, every 10k that I ran, she was there with me and we raced it together. But now next year, I’m going to have to run them alone.” said Jortberg. She joined Tech as a transfer student and found the approach to training to be a refreshing change from her previous experience. The different approach changed her mindset towards training but also has improved her results significantly. “Here, our workouts are not meant to run us into the ground. They’re meant to make us better as an athlete so that we perform our best in our races, instead of overexerting ourselves in workouts. … I proved that to myself this past February, I was not really doing very intense workouts. And then I went and I raced a 5k, and I had a huge personal best,” said Jortberg in reference to her 16:37.16 time in the Music City Challenge 5k.
Not only has the new environment led her to new heights as a competitor, Jortberg appreciates that her coaches, Alan Drosky and Becky Megesi, see her as a developing person rather than just a time on a competition board. “I did not know, honestly, until I came on my official visit at Tech during my sophomore year of college that there were coaches like my current coaches, that are very supportive and want the best for you and see you as a whole person, not just an athlete.” said Jortberg, on her first impression of Tech.
The push to broaden her horizons as an individual comes from her teammates as well as her coaches. “As for a whole school or a whole team, something that surprised me is how well-rounded my teammates are. Everyone has something going on outside of running, which I really like because it doesn’t make running our whole personality. If you’re injured, say, then it’s not like your entire life is crashing down,” Jortberg said. “The school really encourages us to be well rounded, so that when we leave and we graduate, we don’t lose our identity.”
The Track and Cross Country teams are not the only teams that focus on creating well-rounded people. The Tech athletic department has made it a point of emphasis to “educate and empower student-athletes to be champions [in] life….”
Jortberg said “Here [at Tech] we have the Total Person Program, so they really care about our career and professional development, as well as our personal development. That’s a whole athletic department-wide characteristic, I would say that I really appreciate [it], and that’s part of the reason I came to Tech.”
She expounded on the Total Person Program. “It’s run by Kevin Cone, who is our assistant AD, but he’s not the only one. It’s one of the first things that they present to us. It’s a program that puts on resume reviews, headshots, student athlete career fairs — some things that are really helpful.”
Outside of the official Tech programs, student-athletes can relate to each other’s experiences and give guidance once they get in professional roles. “Over the summer, I interned at Boeing and met with someone who ran at Tech who won a company wide award for a Simio model that she created. Because of my background as a runner it gave me an opportunity to meet someone who I wouldn’t have met otherwise and opened doors professionally.” Jortberg said.
The holistic view of student-athletes has led to success for the cross country team as a whole. This past weekend, Tech’s women placed first at the Kennesaw State Invitational with senior Mary Brady winning, followed by fifth-year Grace Driskill and Jortberg rounding out the podium in a Jackets sweep.