Former ‘Hater’ Jayden Perry Signs to Run at Webster College

Running wasn’t in Jayden Perry’s future when he failed a cross country time trial in his freshman season at Fort Campbell. Fast forward four years, and Perry has turned running into a college opportunity.

Perry signed on  Friday to continue his cross country and track career at Webster University in St. Louis.

For Perry, college running was never part of the original plan.

“Freshman year, this wasn’t even in the plans at all, running in college,” Perry said. “I hated running, honestly. But I was coming in freshman year. My brother did cross country. He was pretty good at it, and I looked up to him, and I was like, okay, let me do it. My friends are doing it. Why not?”

The beginning was far from smooth.

“It did not go well,” Perry said. “I did not make the time, so I was like, ‘Oh, my God, Coach, I can’t do this anymore. I’m running all these miles, and it sucks.’”

But instead of walking away, Perry stayed with it — and that decision changed his future.

Fort Campbell cross country coach Miranda Roberts said Perry’s signing is a powerful example of what perseverance can produce.

“To understand the magnitude of this signing, you have to remember the start,” Roberts said. “Jayden didn’t make the cut during his first time trial during cross country. Most people would have just walked away, but he started training harder. He transitioned from the back of the pack to becoming a powerhouse with a 17:26 5K PR.”

Perry’s improvement continues to be on display after taking 21 seconds off his two-mile time to run a 10:21 at the Montgomery County Championships earlier in the week.

“Jayden’s journey from a missed time trial to a collegiate athlete is a master class in perseverance,” Robert said.

Perry has reached the state level in three sports, a rare achievement at Fort Campbell because of the school’s highly mobile, military-connected student population.

He has competed in four KHSAA state cross country meets during his career. His best state finish came last November when he placed 86th in the Class 1A state meet. He also posted a pair of top-10 regional finishes.

In track and field, Perry has finished in the top five in three middle-distance events at the regional level and was part of the Falcons’ back-to-back region championship teams.

As Perry stuck with the sport, the grind began to pay off.

“The more I was running, the more I connected with the friends, and I was like, wow, I’m actually kind of starting to enjoy it a little bit,” Perry said. “As much as it sucked, you start to like that after-race moment, like, wow, I just did that. I’m getting better.”

He said that consistency eventually became the key.

“With distance running, the more you’re consistent at it, the better you can be, and it really proved that throughout the years,” Perry said.

Perry also built a strong résumé in wrestling. He amassed over 170 wins in his career and qualified for state multiple times.

“It just really comes to show that, like, a full circle, you really don’t know what you’re good at until you do it,” Perry said.

That mindset helped lead him to Webster University, where he will join the Gorloks in both men’s cross country and track and field.

Webster, located in the St. Louis area, competes at the NCAA Division III level and is a member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Perry said Webster first came onto his radar when the coaching staff reached out directly.

“Webster actually, the coach contacted me via Instagram, and I was not really looking at them so much,” Perry said. “But he was like, ‘Hey, come see us. We’re in Missouri, St. Louis, so not that far. We have a good cross-country program.’”

Once he started researching the school, Perry said the fit became obvious.

He plans to pursue a double major in film and business, and Webster’s academic offerings helped separate it from other options.

“I’m looking for film and business — I want to do those two majors, so like a double major,” Perry said. “When he contacted me, I looked more into the university. I saw the film program, and I was like, wow, this is everything I want.”

Just as important, Perry said he saw something familiar in Webster’s team culture.

“When I looked at the team, it reminded me of that team environment,” Perry said. “They seem so close because there’s like 15 kids, and it brought me at home. So another four years of running out of school, I get to do my passion. I’m not mad about that.”