Makaleigh Jessee
-
- Height:
- 5-4
-
- Hometown:
- Abingdon, Va.
-
- Year:
- Jr.
-
- Previous School:
- Abingdon HS
Bio
Jessee's TFRRS Page
Jessee's First Year TFRRS Page (2023)
Career Bests
3 Mile: 18:34.5 (Tennessee XC Invitational - Sept. 1, 2023)
5K: 18:06.9 (Louisville Classic – Oct. 4, 2025)
6K: 21:26.5 (NCAA South Regionals - Nov. 14, 2025)
2025 (Junior): Recorded a personal-best 5k time of 18:06.9 at the Louisville Classic (Oct. 4)... Posted a personal-best 6k time of 21:26.5 at the NCAA South Regionals... Turned in a top-15 performance at the Angel Mounds Invitational (Oct. 17)... Helped lead the Golden Eagles to their first-ever OVC championship with a 7th-place finish at the OVC Championships (Oct. 31).
2024 (Sophomore): Jessee competed in all six of Tech's events during the fall… placed second among Golden Eagle runners in all six meets… Ran a time of 18:34.5 in the 3 Mile at the Tennessee XC Invitational (Sept. 1)… produced a season-best time of 18:38.4 in the 5K at the Covered Bridge Open (Sept. 15)… turned in a top-15 performance at the OVC Championships (Oct. 28), clocking in at 22:14.46 in the 6K… turned in a season-best 6K of 21:45.6 at the NCAA South Regionals (Nov. 10).
2023 (Freshman): Qualified for the NCAA DI South Region Cross Country Championships during first season with the program... Finished 13th at the OVC Conference Championships (Oct. 28) in the 6k with a time of 22:14.5... Ran a career-best in the 6k (21:25.6) at the NCAA South Region XC Championships (Nov. 10)... Ran a career-best in the 3-mile with a time of 18:34.5 at the Tennessee XC Invitational (Sept. 1)... Made collegiate debut with a time of 18:34.5 in the 3M at the Tennessee Cross Country Invite (Sept. 1)... Posted a time of 18:38.4 in the 5k at the Covered Bridge Open (Sept. 15).
High School: Jessee was a three-sport letterwinner at Abingdon High School in Abingdon, Va., lettering four years for cross country head coach Allyson Newton, as well as four years in indoor track & field and three years in outdoor track & field for head coach Brent Swiney… led AHS to its first girls team title since 1988 while capturing the overall individual VHSL Class 3A crown as a senior, clocking in a 5K of 18:21.07… placed third individually at the Class 3A State meet as a junior, ninth as a sophomore, and fifth as a freshman… helped guide Abingdon to the 2023 VHSL 3A State Outdoor Track championship, earning medalist honors in the 3,200 meters… also earned an all-state finish in the 1,600 meters… collected All-State honors 20 times throughout her career… owns every individual distance record at AHS, from 1,000 meters in indoor track to the 5K in cross country… earned the TimesNews Bill Lane Award as Southwest Virginia's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Personal: Daughter of Felicia and Chris Jessee… born in Abingdon, Va. on August 28, 2005.
Academic: Majoring in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in pre-physical therapy… named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll twice and the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll once… earned the OVC Medal of Honor once.
Honors & Awards:
- 2024 President's Award
- 2023 All-OVC Second Team
News mentions
Tennessee Tech women’s cross country had a banner finish to the 2025 season with the team winning the OVC Championship and Head Coach Peter Dalton taking home Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, as announced by the Conference.
Tennessee Tech's women's cross country wins its first OVC Championship!
Tennessee Tech cross country had its best performance of the fall with the women’s team finishing 8th and the men’s team finishing 11th at the Snaps Louisville Cross Country Classic.
The Tennessee Tech men's and women's cross country teams went up against the best programs in the nation at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday.
Tennessee Tech men's and women's cross country is set to compete in the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Tennessee Tech Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams begin the 2025 season at the Covered Bridge Open hosted by Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.
Senior Carter Bradford and junior Makaleigh Jessee were named Runners to Watch by the Ohio Valley Conference, as announced today by the conference.