Resilience is defined as being able to sustain shock without permanent deformation or rupture. Senior Jennings Barndt is resilient, because no matter the injuries or setbacks he has sustained, he only saw them as temporary complications and ran right through them.

But Barndt is used to running by now. He has competed in long distance races since he was in fifth grade, winning a small trophy for most miles run in his grade. He had the drive, he said, he just needed a sport to use it on.

“I wanted to be in athletics and you either did football or cross country. I was a pretty scrawny kid,” Barndt said. “I couldn’t really do football, so I just decided to run.”

This ultimately was the best decision for him, as he participated in cross country all the way into high school. He had successful freshman and sophomore campaigns, so his goals were high for his junior year.

During one of the midseason meets for the team, however, Barndt unexpectedly stepped on a tree branch and injured his ankle. At first he believed that it was only a sprain, but he came to realize it was much worse.

“I could definitely tell there was something seriously wrong,” Barndt said. “Usually when you twist your ankle, it’s a sharp pain. But this one, it was a different kind of pain. With each and every step, I could feel it, even when my foot was off the ground.”

The race was still going, and Barndt knew he couldn’t stop no matter the pain.

“I mean anyone in that situation, the first thought in their mind would be that they couldn’t finish the race,” Barndt said. “But I just heard this voice in the back of my head saying, ‘Keep going. You’re halfway there.’”

No matter how much he wanted to stop, his body pushed him to the finish line, getting him a fourth place finish. Although Barndt collapsed as soon as he made it to the end, his teammates were there to support him.

“I fell to the ground and I needed people to carry me to the tent,” Barndt said. “They could tell I was injured. They could see it in my face. I could see it in my form, but they cheered me on all the way to the finish line.”

The following months, however, he was the one cheering his teammates on.

He was out for the rest of the season due to a broken angle, leaving him excluded from the district and regional meets. He was devastated.

“I was seeing all these improvements and they all got pushed back,” Barndt said. “I still got to go to region and cheer them on in my boot. I still got to be a part of the team, which was something I was worried I’d miss out on.”

Barndt didn’t allow for the injury to set him back at all, and he used his resiliency to fuel him for the current season of cross country.

“Coming into last year, Jennings was one of our best runners,” coach Andrew Higham said. “For him to go down with an injury late in the season, it was really tough for the team. But I’m excited. He’s one of our best guys. One of our leaders. It’s a blessing to have him back.”

Barndt has a couple of goals for his senior season. Not only is he hoping to make up for his missed time by helping his team make it to State, but he aims to step into a leadership role for his teammates.

Along with the other underclassmen, one person Barndt wants to most inspire is his brother – sophomore Bo Barndt. Jennings hopes that he can assist Bo as not only a brother but a teammate. Bo hopes to not only compete to beat his brother, but to compete to make it to state.

“He’s one of the oldest and most wise out of all the runners,” Bo said. “It’s also kinda competitive. We’ve been going after each other, and it’s been a way for us to push ourselves.”

Barndt has gone to new measures to prevent future injuries, focusing especially on stretching and warmups before practices and meets. He expects it  will help keep him on track this season.

Whether it be a tree branch or a medical cast, Barndt’s resilient nature has kept him on his feet. Barndt hopes he can maintain a positive mindset and prove to not only himself, but others around him that there is always a finish line you can cross, you just have to push yourself to it.

“The only way for an injury to heal is with time,” Barndt said. “You can spend all that time moping around, or you can take a positive approach and continue to work hard.”