Brant, a native of Troy, Ohio, was a four-time Metro Buckeye Conference First Team selection and a two-time All-Ohioan as a four-year letterwinner at Troy Christian High School. She won the Tipp City Invitational, the Brookville Invitational, the Centerville Invitational, the Newton Invitational, the Versailles Invitational, and the Metro Buckeye Conference Meet. Her best 5-kilometer time was 19:12.

"I am very excited about the decision that Jessica has made to attend MVNU and become a member of our cross country program,” said MVNU coach Chip Wilson. "She has had a tremendous high school career with many honors, but I have discovered that she is a very humble person. Her personality and personal goals will be a great fit at MVNU. As a two-time All-Ohio runner, she will add another strong runner to this young women’s team and I believe she will make an immediate impact on our program.”

"I have discovered through the recruiting process that Jessica is a very determined student-athlete,” Wilson continued. "She has had great success in the classroom as a standout student, and she has accomplished great things as a runner without much team support. Through her four years in high school, it was not uncommon for her team to only have a few female runners, but that did not stop her from participating in something she enjoys. I am anxious to see what she can do at the college level.”

In addition to running cross country, Brant was named to National Honor Society. She was a three-time Academic All-Ohio honoree at the state meet, a four-time scholar-athlete award recipient, and a perennial honoree on the high honor roll. She also received a Character Quality Award for faith and honor.

"I have chosen to attend MVNU because I want to grow even more in my personal relationship with God during college,” said Brant of her college choice. "MVNU seems like a university that would challenge me in my faith. I also love how MVNU has so many ministry opportunities and mission trips that I can get involved in.”

The MVNU cross country program was reborn in the fall of 2006 after not having a program since the 1979 season. The Lady Cougars have been competitive in their first three seasons back on the college cross country map as evidenced by the team’s results as MVNU finished 13th at the American Mideast Conference meet in 2008 and 17th at the National Christian College Athletic Association meet.