Jeffrey Love ’19 Reflects from the Finish Line

Jeffrey Love ’19 has a long list of accomplishments as a runner, but before he stepped foot on George School’s campus, he had never participated in a sport.

“All freshmen at George School are required to do a sport,” he recalled. “Cross Country had no cuts and required no prior skill, so I decided to go and try out.”

It became clear early in his first season that he had a special talent for running and competing.

Throughout his time at George School, Jeffrey shined in the competitive environment, finishing top three in almost every event. He earned a list of winning titles including 2019 PAISAA State Champion in the 2-Mile, two-time New Balance Indoor Nationals qualifier in the 2-Mile and two-time Friends Schools League champion in Cross Country and the 2-Mile. He was a four-year letter athlete in Cross Country and Track, served as team captain for both teams his senior year, and was FSL All-League First Team member for four straight years.

Jeffrey went on to run for Connecticut College in the competitive NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) league, where he took his natural talent to the next level.

“I had a lot more motivation to train being around other athletes all the time working hard. I was quickly able to improve, going from running 30 miles a week to running 75 to 80 miles a week,” he said. Putting in the hard work to improve as an athlete, while not always easy, was always worth the struggle.

“I never really enjoyed training – I still don’t to this day. There’s nothing fun about it, but I truly do love competing, and the only way you can really be competitive is through hard training. That’s with all things, you have to put in the hard work to have the fun.”

His training paid off. At Connecticut College, he accumulated another long list of accomplishments, including placing as a top 8 All-American in the 10K Outdoor Nationals as a junior and qualifying for nationals as a team for the first time in 20 years during his senior season.

In some ways, Jeffrey was drawn to Connecticut for the similarities it shared with George School. “I really loved the environment that I had at George School where everyone kind of knows each other,” he said “I love the natural environment as well. I wanted something similar to that in college.”

He also enjoyed the inclusive nature of the NESCAC league. “Everyone who competes against each other really knows each other, so I have a lot of friends from different teams.”

Some of his competitors were athletes he raced against in the Friends League during his GS days, and he even competed against former George School teammate Walter Wagude ’20, who runs Cross Country for Tufts University.

Jeffrey never lost his connection with George School. When he would have a good race throughout college, he’d often get messages from Mike Sherman ’83 and Laura Kinnel congratulating him. He also receives a letter from his advisor, former faculty member Odie Lefever, every year.

“It was really nice to know that people still watch,” Jeffrey replied. “I always appreciate those things. I don’t think I could have been supported any more than I was.”

At Connecticut College, Jeffrey double majored in Botany (the study of plants) and Economics. Since graduating, he has started working as a Global Wealth Management Analyst. After passing his SIE Series 7 exams for his job, he is excited to get back into running on his own terms.

“One thing that I think I’ll enjoy a lot more about running now than on a team is that I’m doing it because I want to do it rather than I need to do it. Now I’m going out for fun.”