Feb. 15, 2010

SPOKANE, WASH. - Freshman cross country runner Emily Jones (Harvard, Mass./ Bromfield) finished fourth in the Junior 6K at the USA Track & Field Cross Country National Championships held Saturday in Spokane, Wash. In doing so, Jones qualified for the World Championships, which will be held on March 28 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Women's Cross Country Coach Chris Miltenberg decided to redshirt Jones during the winter season to allow her to train for the National Championships. "Any time you have this opportunity, you have to take advantage of it," Miltenberg explained.

The record snowfall last week in D.C. almost prevented this feat from happening. All flights to the west coast were shut down up until the last minute, resigning Jones and Miltenberg to the possibility that they would not make it out west. However, a late flight opened up, getting Jones to Spokane at 1 a.m. PST, just eight hours before the 9 a.m. start time.

Without ever even seeing the track beforehand, Jones ran a time of 20:33, just six seconds off the winning pace. Describing why Jones could overcome such tough circumstances to succeed, Miltenberg said, "That just shows what a big time competitor she is, to be able to do that."

The next step for Jones, who in the fall was named to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team, will be to continue her training in preparation for the World Championships next month. "This will be a great learning experience for her. From here, our goal is to keep getting better for the Worlds," Miltenberg added.