Before she was competing in long-distance running events at Slippery Rock, Jennifer Cichra was horseback riding at stables and farms around Butler County.
“I always did horseback riding growing up, then I started to run track in middle school around seventh, eighth grade,” said Cichra. “I joined as a hurdler, and more of a middle-distance runner, but eventually they needed long distance.”
During her time at Butler Senior High School, Cichra excelled in both running and in the classroom.
The Renfrew, Pennsylvania native graduated in the top 10% of her graduating class while also breaking the school’s 3000-meter record in indoor track and field. By the time she graduated, Cichra racked up numerous accolades, such as lettering four years in cross country and three years in track and field, while also helping lead Butler to two WPIAL Championships in 2019 and 2021.
“I had a good time there. I had some pretty consistent growth throughout my four years in varsity and competing with the team,” Cichra recalled. “Overall, they had a strong program and some great coaches.”
While many students struggle to find which discipline to study in college, Cichra knew her career aspirations from the beginning.
“I always knew I wanted some sort of math or STEM background,” she said.
Her love for the field began while taking classes at the Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School.
“I took a machine technology program during high school. I got hands-on experience working with a mill, lathe and different metalworking,” she continued. “Just being able to take an idea in your head and hold it in your hands at class made me say ‘hey, I want to be an engineer.’”
When searching where to continue her academic career post-high school, Cichra would only have to look 17 miles up Route 8 to find her new home.
Slippery Rock University, where her mother, Linda, earned her master’s degree, caught Cichra’s attention for their strong engineering and athletic programs.
“Slippery Rock stood out to me because the program was extremely successful through all the research I did,” said Cichra. “When I met the team, there was this team atmosphere that felt very welcoming. I felt like it was a spot where I could have an impact on the team in terms of athletics and academics.”
Unsurprisingly, juggling athletics and academics has been no easy task, especially as an engineering major.
“For a disclaimer, it’s not an easy combination,” claimed Cichra. “I always try to be ahead of the schedule and not procrastinate on assignments, because you never know when a practice time is going to change or a scheduling issue is going to come up.”
Not long after starting college, Cichra realized the biggest contrast from high school to university would be the increase of self-responsibility outside of the classroom.
“In high school, everything’s laid out for you; you don’t really have to do a lot of learning on your own outside the classroom,” Cichra stated. “In college, a lot of understanding the concepts and material relies on the fact that you’re studying the content outside of class time.”
Despite this difference, she says that change of pace fits her learning style better.
“I’m able to take my time on concepts that I don’t understand as much while also going quicker on ones I already have a strong grasp on,” she said.
Furthermore, it is her drive for success in the classroom which sets her apart from her peers.
“I knew engineering was going to be difficult coming in, and there were times where I have been in my professor’s office hours every day struggling through concepts,” Cichra explained. “I knew that there were going to be struggles, but I ultimately think it’s worth putting in the time and effort.”
Despite the hardships, the support from the rest of the team acts as a pillar for her success.
“We have a really wonderful and supportive team, both in terms of the student athletes we have and the coaches,” she stated. “They’ve been very helpful and they work around difficult schedules or class conflicts to assist us.”
Like many other SRU student-athletes, Cichra claims that the emphasis on team bonding is what separates Slippery Rock from other schools.
“Slippery Rock has something special with team atmosphere. The bond in college is greater than it is in high school, and I’ve heard from others who have transferred in say that Slippery Rock stands out in terms of team environment,” Cichra expressed. “Whenever we go to track meets, our athletes are always cheering for each other, more than some other teams do.”
Over the past four years, fellow All-PSAC academic recipient and teammate Ruthie Hughes has remained close by her side.
“Everyone on that team are truly incredible people and push themselves to be their best. I would say Ruthie Hughes is someone who I’ve been with throughout my four years,” she said. “She’s one of our best distance runners and a dedicated student-athlete.”
Between the two sports, Cichra says that she prefers cross country over track and field for its emphasis on the team as a whole.
“I do prefer cross country just because the team environment is much closer,” claimed Cichra. “Track is a little more individualized, which has its benefits, but I would say overall cross country.”
It is that same team atmosphere which Cichra claims will be missed the most when her collegiate career concludes.
“Being able to be part of something bigger than yourself is really what makes athletics in general so special,” she said. “I’ll probably continue to run after college and compete in some local events, but it won’t be the same as being on a team.”
In April of 2025, Cichra was invited to the RAPID + TCT Event in Detroit, Michigan, the largest additive manufacturing event in North America. There, she received the runner-up award in the undergraduate category of the Digital Manufacturing Challenge for her design of a 3D-printed spike plate.
“That’s one of the most special things to me personally. At least with track, you might not be the fastest person on the team, but I want to show that you can still make a difference and be a role model for different people.” She continued, “My goal is to show people you can balance hard things and still stand out.”
The idea came to Cichra during the summer of 2024 while hiking with her family in the Rocky Mountains, using crampons on her boots to gain traction on trails.
“I think one of the most important mindsets that an engineer can have is, ‘how can I make this better?’” Cichra claimed, “A lot of [engineers] are constantly questioning how things are, and how to make them more efficient. I definitely catch myself doing that quite a bit.”
Accompanying Cichra at the conference was former assistant professor of engineering, Dr. Jheng-Wun Su.
“Dr. [Jheng-Wun] Su has since left the university, but he was the advisor for my spike plate project and a lot of other research I had done on campus,” said Cichra. “Another great professor is Dr. [Louis] Christensen. He really cares about his students and their success within the program. He’s always been available for help with any sort of assignment.”
Her heavy involvement within the program is something that, coming in as a freshman, would’ve surprised her.
“I didn’t expect to be as involved in the engineering program as I was able to be. I was able to do some undergraduate research projects and work with other classes,” she said. “That was something I wasn’t expecting going into college.”
Although there are an abundance of options to choose from, Cichra claims that her favorite memory from college is winning the Elite 90 Trophy (since renamed to the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award). The prestigious award is given to student athletes with the highest cumulative grade-point average who reach the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 92 men’s and women’s championships across each of its three divisions.
“We were out in Sacramento, California and my coach had kept it a surprise, but he told my family and they came out to see me get it. I was totally in shock, that was one moment that will stand out to me for the rest of my life,” Cichra explained.
Cichra joins fellow cross country alumni Ethan Brentham (’24) and women’s lacrosse senior Erin Melcher as the only three Slippery Rock student-athletes to receive the award.
If she could give herself any advice as a freshman, Cichra would assure herself that everything would be just fine.
“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be okay, and it’s going to work out in the end,” she said. “There’s always going to be challenges, and I wish I could say that running and life is a linear progress, but ultimately there’s going to be plateaus and dips. Have your teammates help pick you up, and be there for other people, too.”
