Jumping At The Opportunity

Track and field athlete Jennessa Wolfe brings a decorated record of success from Nova Scotia to College Park. The freshman high jumper looks to build upon her past success on a roster that features multiple athletes from Canada.

Wolfe competed at the U20 Pan-American Games in Puerto Rico for Team Canada in August at 17 years old. She took home a gold medal in the high jump with a 1.71-meter leap, which would have placed her in the top 10 of last year's Big Ten Outdoor Championships. 

"That was a crazy opportunity for me first being introduced to a national team," Wolfe said. "I was very excited. And although I didn't jump personally the best for me at that meet, everyone was telling me I did what mattered, and I still came out with gold at the end."

Wolfe edged out her U.S. competitors yet knew she could've performed better. While attending Cobequid Educational Centre, she shattered a record that stood for 40 years during the provincial high school track and field championships. Wolfe recorded a personal best high jump of 1.81 meters, placing her first in her age group under-23. 

Wolfe's ability to perform on the biggest stage is something she's looking to bring to the Terps. Being chosen to represent her country from a small province is an unrivaled starting point. 

"I feel like I'm not seen as much as others from bigger areas like the Toronto area where there's a lot of people," Wolfe said. "Being chosen was really eye-opening for me. And then to be with all these incredible other athletes that I still have former connections with."

One of the athletes Wolfe connected with in Puerto Rico was Tolu Akinduro, a fellow Canadian who competed in the triple jump. She won a silver medal for her 13.03-meter mark. The two are now teammates with the Terps, as Akinduro is a sophomore who competes in jumps and hurdles.

Akinduro also recorded the sixth-best triple jump in Maryland women's track and field history, jumping 12.25 meters at the Nittany Lion on Challenge on Jan. 13. Maryland has a significant representation of Canadian athletes among its women on the track and field team. Junior Emma Pegg is another athlete from Canada, as she is from Ontario. 

Maryland track and field head coach Andrew Valmon has emphasized recruiting outside of the U.S. He also acknowledges supporting his international athletes and their competitive efforts.

"It started many years ago with Micha Powell, Alexandra Lucki and both have gone on to make national teams for Team Canada," Valmon said. "Just to come over to the U.S. and improve, coach them, and send them back to Canada to try to make a national team representing Canada, and we are very supportive of that quest."

Wolfe began competing in track and field in the sixth grade and quickly fell in love with the high jump. She finished third in her province in just her first time competing in the event. Her successes only compounded from then on. 

The track and field star was one of 16 recipients in Canada selected to represent Andre De Grasse's Future Champions Scholarship Program. Wolfe says the program provided workshops to high school student-athletes throughout the year with coaches who taught them how to eat and train properly and the importance of the mental aspect of the sport. The program even helped them with recruitment. 

Wolfe was also selected for the Canada Games, a biannual multi-sport event representing the highest national competition level for Canadian athletes. The competition has a cutoff age of 25, and Wolfe was the youngest competitor chosen at 16. 

"The one thing about her is she's a gamer. She knows how to compete and that was the overall redeeming equality," Valmon said. "She is hard on herself and so there's no worrying about if she's going to put in the work when no one's watching. I think those are some of the characteristics that we think are really exciting about her growth."

When it came time to advance her college career, the kinesiology major was torn between the University of Toronto and Maryland. She chose Maryland despite meeting her future coaches over Zoom once. 

"I had to think about what I wanted to do later in life, and both of them had great programs for me and what I wanted to study," Wolfe said. "And then I just thought if I really wanted to go further with track and field, that the University of Maryland would help me achieve that."

Wolfe is excited to make her debut as a Terp. She says the university has been everything she imagined and more. Valmon has developed a plan to help the young athlete grow accustomed to the competition in the U.S. However, her past accomplishments allow her to stand out even amongst what the Big Ten has to offer. 

"I'm really excited to get back to where I was with jumping and my teammates have been really helpful. They're so encouraging, and I'm really glad I chose them to be my track family."