Milligan’s Megan Jastrab excited to represent her country as the youngest Team USA Cycle member
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (BVM) — While other athletes her age are preparing for their next collegiate season, Milligan University cyclist Megan Jastrab is getting ready for the biggest stage in all of athletics: the Olympics. The 19-year-old was named a member of the USA Cycle team on June 1 and will participate in Team Pursuit and Madison cycling events when the team begins competing in Tokyo in August.
“I held it together on the phone, but as soon as I hung up the phone I started sobbing,” Jastrab said. “[There were] so many emotions for a year and a half. Two buildups to the Olympics and two buildups to selections, one that didn’t happen in 2020 and this one. … The relief of hearing, ‘You made it, you’re going to Tokyo’ will always be something I remember and cherish.”
As the youngest member of the U.S. women’s cycling team, Jastrab understands there will be high expectations as well as an element of unknown to her abilities.
“I haven’t had a lot of experience in elites in an international field because I’ve been restricted to racing until I turned 18 so I got two races in 2020, so with the age restrictions it was a little tough to get experience,” Jastrab said. “The competitors are different, but the race is the same so I’m just going in with an open mindset and just going to try to find my groove once I get out there.”
If there is anything for certain, it’s Jastrab’s abilities on a bike. During her first season at Milligan in 2020, Jastrab was the collegiate national champion in the Individual Pursuit (3K) and set the track record at Giordana Velodrome at the event. That same season, she also led the Buffs to a collegiate national championship in the Women’s Team Pursuit, solidifying her place as one of the top college bikers in the entire country.
“I think it was a lot of fun because we ended up winning team pursuit which was like the first time that one of these schools, Marian University, hadn’t won for like seven years in a row so that was really exciting,” Jastrab said. “Winning as a team is such a different feeling than winning as an individual. Everyone puts their heart into it, you can give your best for each other and I feel you can go a bit deeper when you’re with teammates so that was a great feeling for the school.”
In addition to her strong collegiate performances, the cyclist was also able to make a national impression in her junior career as she won three world championships and 29 national championships. Currently a professional, Jastrab has recently returned to road racing after over 600 days away due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Part of it was a blessing I would say because I was only 18 last year and now I’m 19 so the extra year to develop and mature, to handle the stress physically, my capability went up several steps so the extra year was a help for me to make the team,” Jastab said. “[The road race] was really nice. I love road racing, that’s my main discipline not track. … The expectations were to go out and have a good training day, be safe and go through the motions again so that was really nice.”
Originally from Apple County, Calif., Jastrab’s journey to the Olympics is a unique one, as most Olympic stories are. With the NCAA not sanctioning cycling, the athlete’s ability to compete with fellow cyclists her age while maintaining her junior career was threatened. However, through her connections in the industry, Jastrab learned that Milligan University, an NAIA school in Tennessee, had a strong program that would allow her not only to compete at the college level, but to continue to pursue her professional goals as well.
“There’s not too many collegiate DI cycling schools so it kind of dwindles down to what major you want to go to, where your friends go, word of mouth and word of mouth is kind of the main thing,” Jastrab said. “I was kind of hesitant to go to Tennessee, I don’t know why I just didn’t want to move all the way across the country, but once I got out there it’s beautiful riding, the people are lovely, the school is great, the team is amazing, everything worked out.”
Now, Jastrab will join five other women’s track cyclists that will represent Team USA in Tokyo. The junior Buff will also hold the distinction of being the first known Milligan University athlete to compete in the Olympics, according to the athletics department. While finishing well and winning gold are obviously the biggest goals for the young athlete, Jastrab is satisfied with being able to represent her country, her school and her community and is excited to be wearing the red, white and blue on the national stage.
“Being able to represent Team USA on the big athletic stage is something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl,” Jastrab said. “I think representing anyone, my family, team, school, country, myself having that all there and thinking about all the support I’ve had over the years, anyone who’s ever supported me, it feels great to kind of pay them back and showing where their support has gotten me.”
Currently practicing at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Jastrab and the team will train for a couple more weeks before training on a more standard, sea-level in Los Angeles before leaving for Tokyo. Jastrab will first compete on Aug. 2 when she joins teammates Chloé Dygert, Jannifer Valente, Emma White and Lily Williams for the Team Pursuit Qualifying event. She will then represent Team USA in the Madison, alongside Valente, on August 6.
“It’s definitely hit me,” Jastrab said of her Olympic experience. “Most things like registration, the email, seeing what we’re getting, getting the Olympic cycling kit, everything started adding up especially with teammates reminding you and realizing whenever the Madison [roster] came out I’m an Olympian forever now. [It’s] Just an amazing experience.
