Rushin captures title in shot put

Jackson's Jill Rushin basks in the perks of being a standout track and field athlete.

She's traveled to both coasts and the Southwest this summer. She even made a trip to Puerto Rico in pursuit of the best competition she can find.

Rushin, who won the Class 4 state championship in the shot put and discus at May's state meet, wrapped up her summer season with a national championship in the shot put and a second-place finish in the discus in the women's 17- and 18-year olds division at this week's AAU Track and Field National Championships, also known as the Junior Olympics, in Des Moines, Iowa.

She tossed the shot put 45 feet, 11 1/2 inches and hurled the discus 144-10 1/2 in Des Moines.

Rushin didn't bother taking time off after her high school state championships and only took off about three weeks this summer.

"I think I had one week off after June and then after Mizzou's camp [in July] I had two weeks off," Rushin said on her way back from Iowa. "That's about it. That's all I've had. But it's fun. I enjoy traveling and competing. I've met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends that hopefully I'll get to compete against in college."

She's garnered even more attention from colleges as she prepares for her senior year at Jackson. She said colleges started showing interest during her impressive junior season with the Indians.

"It's kind of stressful because it's hard to say no to some of them," she said about the recruiting process. "It's kind of stressful because I have to make my decision and there are all these people calling me.

"They're all really nice, none of them are mean, so it's hard to say I'm not interested."

But it's getting a little easier as she narrows her choices. Her list of top contenders stands at five -- Stanford, Missouri, Kansas, Arizona State and Texas Christian University.

"I'm willing to go anywhere," she said. "I want to go far away from home. I think that would be fun. I really like Stanford and Mizzou. Those two are really nice."

While she's enjoyed traveling almost every weekend this summer, she hasn't had much time to practice. She's tried to squeeze in time at the high school with her father, who serves as her coach, as much as possible when she's in Jackson.

"In June, I only got to practice Mondays and Tuesdays because those were the only days I was home," she said. "Then I got to practice one day when I got out there [to meets]. In July, I got to practice like four days a week and I went to Mizzou's camp. I practiced at least three days a week during the summer, sometimes more."

She'll try to catch her breath before starting her senior year later this month. She put together an impressive season for the Indians volleyball team last fall, earning a spot on the all-Southeast Missourian team after recording 172 kills, 37 service aces and 48 blocks. But she hasn't decided if she'll return to the volleyball court this year.

"I have to make my decision pretty soon because two-a-days start on Monday," she said. "I really enjoy it, but just the risk of injury, I'm just not so sure. Plus I want to be in the fall play.