A Houma native and LSU distance runner capped her 2023 cross country season with a Top 200 showing at the NCAA Championships.
Vandebilt graduate and LSU sophomore Ella Chesnut finished 196th in the 250+ person race, running a 6,000-meter time of 21:28.7.
Chesnut was the only LSU runner qualified to compete in the race and she’s just the 3rd-ever LSU runner to make it to NCAA Championships.
Chesnut will now have a short break, but will be in action again soon with the LSU track and field team where she doubles as a distance runner.
“This meet is so different than every other meet because you have around 250 elite folks, and if you don’t get a really good start, it’s hard to fight your way back into the race,” said LSU cross country coach Houston Franks. “She fought and fought but could never get out of the churn, so-to-speak, with so many runners of high quality. It happens often the first time people run at this meet, no matter how many times you warn them.”
Franks said he believes Chesnut has a bright future and will be back at this stage in the final 2 seasons of her career.
“Really proud of how she competed and I’m hoping next year she will be back,” Franks said. “She’s had just an amazing year and has come so far since she joined the program a year and a half ago. The future is nothing but very bright. …
“We’ll give her a little bit of time off and start prepping her for track. Indoors I think she’ll be more focused on the 3k and 5k this season. Outdoors, we will see how she progresses, but I see the 5k and 10k being really good events for her.”
