Written and Media by Andrew Sharp.
Runners are a breed of people that are completely all their own. Usually, when it comes to a runner, they tend to be a mostly outspoken person. Sometimes this is not the case, and it just so happens that we had the honor to get to know one of the quietest runners you will ever meet. Jaylen Shelton is a senior cross country runner from California who has become a silent-but-deadly attribution to the Panthers in his years here at Greenville.
Even in the heat, runners like Shelton keep going!
Shelton is among three senior men on the cross country team who have all spent the last three years working, training and succeeding together. Shelton is dedicated, a hard-worker and easy-going. When asked about his quiet tendencies, Shelton said, “Well, I have just never had to be loud; I let my actions speak for me.” Shelton has always been an under-the-radar guy, showing people that he can walk the walk without having to talk the talk. In fact, after a meet, Coach Brian Patton described him, saying, “Shelton is one of the best, if not the best, under-the-radar guys we have ever had on the team.”
Shelton has always been an under-the-radar guy, showing people that he can walk the walk without having to talk the talk. In fact, after a meet, Coach Brian Patton described him, saying, “Shelton is one of the best, if not the best, under-the-radar guys we have ever had on the team.”
Shelton is the number two runner on the men’s cross country team here at Greenville as of the last completed meet, at which he ran a 25:51 to take the number two spot for the Panthers by 12 seconds.
High School Career
Shelton attended Stagg High School and ran track all four years, his only year running cross country was his senior year. Shelton was only involved in cross country for one year in high school and was still able to boast a time of 16:36 in the 5000-meter race, which is outstanding for a first-year cross country runner. Besides running 16:36 in the 5k, he has other honorable mentions from high school, including running a 4:43 in the open mile and 2:01 in the half mile. Shelton was a sprinter in high school also ran the 400 in 52.8 seconds and the 200 in 24.8 seconds.
Collegiate Career
As a senior now at Greenville, Shelton has attended the school all four years of his career, and in that time has earned a very respectable rap sheet of outstanding records for both his cross country and track careers. Shelton has made a large impact for the Panthers, scoring 183 total team points in his time on the team. Shelton has been able to cover the 8000 in 25:51, along with a few other new personal best times. In the mile, it would only take him 4 minutes and 34 seconds to complete the whole thing, and an even more outstanding athletic accomplishment is his half-mile time, which is 1 minute and 56 seconds.
We had the chance to catch up with Jaylen Shelton and learn a little bit about him and his time here at Greenville. Click below to listen in!
I heard Jaylen had a mean high school coach!😜😜