The journey to the April 3 groundbreaking ceremony for the Jenna Parlette Running Center began with a simple statement the Wilmington College student-athlete made to her mother, Lisa Parlette, some 14 years ago: “Mom, Wilmington needs an indoor track.” Those words now echo in the legacies of both Jenna Parlette, whose life was cut tragically short, and Jerry Scheve, the late legendary basketball coach, whose $23 million gift to the College is making the much-needed and long-dreamed-of facility a reality.
Scheve designated the construction of the Jenna Parlette Running Center as the centerpiece of his record gift, much of which focuses on the pursuit of athletic excellence at WC. Construction is scheduled to start this summer for the facility, which will be side-by-side with the Center for Sport Sciences on the athletics side of the campus. It will feature an 8-lane, 200-meter track, tennis courts, and other amenities.
Scheve was a highly respected accounting professor and championship women’s basketball coach who passed away in May 2025. He coached the Lady Quakers for 30 years before retiring in 2021. His 2004 team won the NCAA Division III national championship, the apex of his 518 career victories at WC.
PHOTO: A large crowd of student-athletes, alumni, friends and family attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
Jenna Parlette was a star runner at WC who collapsed within sight of the finish line while leading a race at Franklin College (IN) in 2013. Sadly, she passed away several days later. Ron Combs, Jenna’s track and cross country coach, recalled Lisa Parlette, in the months following her daughter’s death, sharing her desire to see Jenna’s dream of an indoor track also become the College’s dream. “We started this journey with no direction,” he said. “We were just flying on a wing and a prayer.”
Combs, Lisa Parlette and their band of dreamers spoke with anyone who would listen while soliciting grassroots support for the much-needed project. For some 10 years, prospects and possibilities for funding the enterprise emerged, only to be dashed or simply wither on the vine. Quietly, though, Scheve offered his support, well under anyone’s radar of what that support would ultimately engender. He attended an informational gathering here and played in a fundraising golf outing there. Then, during the late winter of 2025, Lisa Parlette was requested to attend a meeting in President Corey Cockerill’s office, where she was told a terminally ill Scheve had designated the construction of the Jenna Parlette Running Center as the centerpiece of his transformational gift to the College.
Lisa Parlette wrote, following the emotional groundbreaking ceremony, “Coach Scheve’s generosity made Jenna’s dream come true. This is a track built on love, a little luck and, most importantly, faith.”
Jeff Parlette, Jenna’s uncle, represented the family at the event. “Jenna’s spirit was impossible to miss. Her smile was contagious. She brought energy, determination and heart into every room she entered, and she also had a way of reminding all of us that life is meant to be lived fully,” he said.
“This is why today means so much. The running center will stand as more than just a building,” Parlette added. “It’s a reminder of the life that Jenna lived, filled with passion, generosity and purpose — and it will inspire others to do the same. Moments like this remind us that love does not end, purpose does not end, impact does not end. When life is lived with meaning, that meaning continues to ripple outward in ways we may never fully measure.
“Today is one of those ripples.”
President Corey Cockerill hearkened to words coined by Jenna’s late grandfather and adopted as the runner’s mantra: “Run with your legs. Win with your heart,” Cockerill added, “Plenty of people can run. Not everyone runs with heart — Jenna did. It’s clear Jenna didn’t just run with heart; she lived with heart. Her life ended far too soon, and there’s no way to say that without feeling the weight of it. But what I’ve come to understand — and what this moment reflects — is that her story doesn’t end there.
“It carried forward, and now in a place that will bear her name. Because every student-athlete who comes through here will also be stepping into something that already has meaning,” she said, “They’ll be reminded — whether they realize it or not — that how you compete matters. The heart matters.”
Cockerill said this “beautiful facility, thoughtfully designed and built with intention — built for national champions — will be a place our student-athletes will be proud to walk into every day. And more importantly, it will be a place worthy of the name it carries, and forever connects two incredible people, Jenna and Jerry.”
J. Brent Bill, chair of the Board of Trustees, offered a tribute to both. “To Jenna, I say, ‘Thank you for your big heart and courage, and the example you are for us today and always.’ And to Jerry Scheve, ‘Your desire to memorialize Jenna is a blessing to us all.’”
Athletic Director Matt Croci said the running center represents opportunity, growth and belief — “belief in our mission and belief in the young people we serve every day.” In addition to “elevating the experience” for WC student-athletes, Croci said it will allow the College to host competitions and bring the community to campus. The center’s completion is expected in late 2027 or early 2028, in time for WC to host the Ohio Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in late February.
Croci used a sports analogy in describing the groundbreaking as the “starting line” for the facility’s construction. “Today, we break ground. Tomorrow, we build. And soon, we will run.”
TOP PHOTO: From the left are Paul Sargent, former head cross country coach at Franklin College; Terry Rupert, former director of athletics at WC; Angela Mitchell, associate vice president for academic affairs; Lisa Parlette, mother of Jenna and key promoter for an indoor track; Jeff Parlette, Jenna's uncle; Ron Combs, Jenna's WC track and cross country coach; Matt Croci, director of athletics; Corey Cockerill, president; and J. Brent Bill, chair, Board of Trustees.