GULF SHORES, ALA. – Former Roseburg High School softball standout Jessa Perkinson is a national champion at the collegiate level, but just not in softball.

Perkinson, a sophomore at Southern Oregon University claimed an individual NAIA national championship in the 10K race on Thursday despite never competing in track in high school. In fact, Perkinson didn’t compete in her first track meet until her freshman year in Ashland and did run her first 10K race until April of this year. In her first 10K she broke the school record by 21 seconds.

Thursday’s championship race was Perkinson’s second-ever 10K and she pulled off a masterful upset in the 14-person field.

Perkinson was the No. 3 seed with a time nearly 100 seconds behind top-seeded Karis Frankian of The Master’s College (Calif.). Frankian was last year’s runner-up in the 10K at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and she set the pace early on this year. Perkinson kept with Frankian and the pair lost the rest of the field by the last few laps. They were neck-and-neck until there was 200 meters left to go. That’s when Perkinson kicked into a higher gear and raced to the finish line, beating Frankian by 13 seconds. 

The two long distance runners will square off again in the 5K finals on Saturday. Frankian is the favorite in that race, while Perkinson is seeded fifth.

– Joey Keeran | joey@bciradio.com | @joeykeeran