Nevaeh Jasso, Cross Country

For freshman runner Nevaeh Jasso, the road to Spokane Colleges started with a simple realization: basketball wasn’t going to be her path. “I was actually going to play basketball, but I’m too short,” she laughed. “So, I was like, okay, I’ve got to be fast. That’s how I got myself into cross country in seventh grade.”

At first, she wasn’t sure where running would take her. She wasn’t the top finisher in every race, but she was always among the best on her team, and that was enough to keep her going. She took a break during eighth grade when COVID hit, but her freshman year she gave track a try and surprised herself with raw ability. Running the 800 for the first time, she beat several cross country athletes who had been training all season. “I didn’t even know what the 800 really was,” she said. “I just used adrenaline because I was scared. But then I realized, wait, I might be good at this.”

From there, Jasso leaned in. She qualified just one spot shy of state her first year and took on an ambitious schedule as a sophomore, joining choir, color guard, theater, basketball, cross country, and track. That busy year helped her grow both as an athlete and a leader. “I was stubborn with coaches at first,” she admitted. “But then I bought into training and really started to enjoy it. By the end, I was leading as just a sophomore.”

Her hard work paid off with trips to state in both cross country and track, as well as an all-state choir selection. The multi-talented competitor laughs about it now, but that experience taught her how to manage time and energy across very different pursuits.

When it came time to choose a college, she initially leaned toward Lewis-Clark State before Spokane head coach Sean McLachlan reached out. “Talking to Sean felt like talking to my old coaches,” she said. “My mom even said, ‘I think he really cares about you guys.’ I trusted that. It felt like the right choice.”

It didn’t take long for her to make an impression. In just her second collegiate race, Jasso broke into the top eight of Spokane’s all-time lists. She didn’t even realize the significance at first. “Sean was like, ‘Congratulations, you’re top eight,’ and I was like, ‘Wait, what is that?’” she laughed. “I texted my mom right away. It was so cool, especially as a freshman.”

For Jasso, those moments are proof that her summer of training, logging 45-mile weeks, has already paid off. But her goals go beyond individual records. She wants to help the women’s team build stronger chemistry and avoid distractions that can hurt performance. “When we’re together, we run better.” she says.

Her biggest inspiration has been a former coach, Alex Martinez, who showed her what it means to push past limits. “At first, we butted heads, but then he taught me what real work looked like.” she said. “He pushed me to see what I was capable of.”

When tough practices or races get overwhelming, Jasso relies on a piece of advice from her grandmother: if you tell yourself you’re not in pain, the pain fades. It’s her way of staying mentally strong when the miles get long.

Her advice for younger athletes reflects the same mindset: “Imagine who you want to be when you grow up and show up as her every day. If you do that, you’ll get there.”

Superstitions play a role too. For every race, Jasso wears the same warm-up clothes, drinks an energy drink, grabs a coffee, and says a prayer. “That’s how I know I’m ready,” she said with a grin.

Already making her mark, Nevaeh Jasso is quickly carving out her place in Spokane’s cross country program, bringing both energy and heart to the course.