University of Georgia Athletics
Drops Have Been Great Together
November 22, 2019 | Cross Country, Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jessica Drop can feel her coming up behind her, closing the gap, reeling her in. That sense of two eyes on the back of her neck, it's a familiar feeling at this point.
"It's just like I've always had that 'she's right behind me' mentality," she said earlier this week.
Jessica knows the surge is coming — but can she stay in front? Keep breathing, keep focused, keep those legs churning.
Do all that and Jessica may stay in front until the end. Falter even a little down the stretch, in the last kilometer, and her twin sister Samantha may power past her and cross the finish line first.
"It's always weird after a race, I can always retell what she did during the whole last (kilometer) when I finally see her. But she has no idea that I've been watching her for the last K," Samantha said, drawing laughs from both sisters.
At the NCAA Cross Country South Regional last Friday in Tallahassee, Fla., Jessica finished the 6K course in 20:16.7, placing third for the third year in a row, while Samantha was just behind her, placing fifth (20:23.2).
"This past weekend, she had beaten me (at the regional) my freshman year ... and I was like, I can't have her come behind me and beat me. That motivated me to keep moving that last 400," Jessica said.
The fraternal twins from Durham, Conn., are two of the greatest distance runners Georgia has ever had. They've both been All-Americans, they've both finished at or near the front in their share of races and through all of it, or nearly all of it, they've trained and raced together.
On Saturday, at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind., they will race cross country together for the last time. Samantha redshirted last fall so she still has another season of cross country eligibility, but for Jessica, who was brand new to cross country when she got to Georgia, this is her final race.
"I kind of feel like I'm still getting started, but at the same time I've done so much here and it has been a long journey," Jessica said. "I'm kind of not ready for it to be over."
Before her first race at Georgia, Jessica had run one cross country race in her life. It was on the track in the 5,000 meters that she did her best work. And throughout her Georgia career, she has said she didn't much like cross country.
Despite all of her great performances, she always said she much preferred racing on the track to cross country. "Oh, no, I still don't enjoy it," she told me during a Quick Chat in November 2018.
At long last, at the very end, her feelings have finally changed.
"Maybe it's just because it's my last one and I'm like, now I don't want it to be over," she said, laughing. "I'm excited (for Saturday) and cross country isn't as bad as it used to be."
The twins were both cross country All-Americans in 2017, with Jessica repeating in 2018. For Samantha, she's hoping to be among the best again this year after missing last season.
"I'm ready to compete with the best and see where I stand," she said. "It's nice to be back and not be on the sidelines this year."
Georgia distance coach Patrick Cunniff was thinking about the Drops' legacies before we sat down to talk about the twins earlier this week. He said Jessica may be the greatest cross country runner Georgia has ever had, based on all she's done so far, "and Sam may still have the chance to top that."
By the time they're both done running cross country for Georgia, deciding which was the best Bulldog "may luckily be splitting hairs at that point," Cunniff said. They have both been great and they've been great together.
The twins still live together, still train together most of the time and are as close as two people can be. They grew up primarily playing soccer, which Samantha eventually quit because she didn't like all the running. Yes, you read that right.
Luckily for her and Georgia, she soon changed her mind about that. The Drops weren't heavily recruited out of high school and the fact that they both have achieved so much already, it "does mean a lot," Jessica said.
On Saturday, it's one more cross country race together — one more chance for Jessica to push the pace early and try to hold on; one more chance for Samantha to try to chase down her sister and get to the finish line first.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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