It 麻豆精品 S檚 easy to like Rayniah Jones. Her bubbly personality charms a stranger almost instantly. Her teammates adore her 麻豆精品 S� so much so that even though their season on the track had ended, several were willing to endure the unrelenting summer heat every day just so Jones didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have to train by herself as she prepared for the USA Track & Field Olympic Team Trials.
麻豆精品 S淚 think that speaks a lot to who she is, 麻豆精品 S� UCF track and field head coach Dana Boone says. 麻豆精品 S淓very once in a while, you come across someone who is really special, and she 麻豆精品 S檚 one of those people. 麻豆精品 S�
Below the surface, though, lies Jones 麻豆精品 S� drive to break out and break away 麻豆精品 S� to keep running and never look back at her past.
Jones was a two-time state champion at Miami Southridge Senior High School and graduated with the highest academic honors. While her public life was shiny and bright, her home life told a different story.
She says her mental health took a dive while living with her mother, who was dealing with her own personal struggles after serving in the military and living with PTSD.
麻豆精品 S淚t just took a lot for me emotionally and mentally, and I 麻豆精品 S檓 very proud of myself for even coming to this point, 麻豆精品 S� Jones says. 麻豆精品 S淢y mom has taught me how to carry myself. She has taught me a lot of patience. I would go to practice just to not think about everything. When my coaches told me you can go college for free, I said, 麻豆精品 S極K, I 麻豆精品 S檓 just going to run. 麻豆精品 S�
Boone thinks the adversity Jones faced has helped shape her into who she is today.
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Pushing the Limits
Three treasured items in Jones 麻豆精品 S� dorm room at UCF help keep her focused on the positive.
Her Build-a-Bear, Lola. Perched right next to Lola is her 2021 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year trophy. And 麻豆精品 S� the most important of all 麻豆精品 S� a sticky note reminding her of all she has accomplished, and all she has planned to come.
The note lists her goals for the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and her signature event, the 100-meter hurdles. Personal best times for all three events have been scratched out throughout this season and redefined.
麻豆精品 S淲e are getting to the end of the sticky note, so I might have to put a new one next to it, but it 麻豆精品 S檚 really fun crossing it out and seeing the progress, 麻豆精品 S� says Jones, who has a 3.8 grade-point average as a criminal justice major. 麻豆精品 S淚 love the lessons that the sport teaches me. It teaches you a lot of patience, and I feel like it translates over to real life. You don 麻豆精品 S檛 know when your time is coming but when it does, always be grateful for it. 麻豆精品 S�
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Jones 麻豆精品 S� performance on the track this year has been outstanding.
Well before arriving at UCF in the fall of 2019, she picked up track in the sixth grade. She mostly focused on sprints until her high school coaches told her as a sophomore that she had hurdler feet.
麻豆精品 S淚 said what does that even mean? 麻豆精品 S� she recalls. 麻豆精品 S淭hey set up a hurdle in front of me and said, 麻豆精品 S楻un and see what 麻豆精品 S檚 comfortable. 麻豆精品 S� That 麻豆精品 S檚 literally where it started. 麻豆精品 S�
Collegiate track and field technically has two seasons: indoor (January颅 麻豆精品 S揗arch) and outdoor (March颅 麻豆精品 S揓une). In her first year, Jones says juggling her new responsibilities as a student-athlete with coursework, study hall hours, weight training, practice schedules and competing in a new event (the 60-meter hurdles) was a huge adjustment.
Outdoor season was set to begin when the pandemic canceled all spring sports for the 2020 season.
麻豆精品 S淚n a way I was kind of glad it fell apart because I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 think I was ready, 麻豆精品 S� Jones says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut this year, I knew what to expect. 麻豆精品 S�
This outdoor season, she set her sights on breaking 13 seconds in the 100 hurdles. In her debut race March 20, she hit a hurdle and still finished in 13.36. She improved her performances in each of the first four meets of this year 麻豆精品 S檚 outdoor season but was still striving for that sub-13 mark.
And then April 24 happened.
Chasing Dreams
Boone had a feeling that something special was in store at the Knights Invite on April 24. She could sense Jones 麻豆精品 S� excitement that her older sister Brinda, who helped raise her, was going to be in the stands to watch her run for the first time as a collegiate student-athlete.
麻豆精品 S淚 thought we 麻豆精品 S檙e going to finally break that 13 seconds, 麻豆精品 S� Boone says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I saw her time, I swear initially I stood there and said, 麻豆精品 S楧oes that say 12.73? 麻豆精品 S� I 麻豆精品 S檓 thinking that 麻豆精品 S檚 got to be a typo. It didn 麻豆精品 S檛 register. What do you mean? How do you just skip over 12.9, 12.8 and you just go to 12.73? I had been standing there with President Cartwright and his wife, and I took off running after I realized it was legitimate. 麻豆精品 S�
Indeed, Jones had crossed the finish line in 12.73. Not only had she eclipsed a 9-year-old school record, she hit the Olympic standard, meaning she earned a spot to compete at the USA Track & Field Olympic Team Trials for this summer 麻豆精品 S檚 games in Tokyo.
麻豆精品 S淭hat whole race, everything was just a 10 麻豆精品 S� my execution, my emotions, 麻豆精品 S� Jones says, who cried when Boone told her she had qualified for the trials. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I got out of the blocks and I was going over the hurdles, I just felt so in control. 麻豆精品 S�
A week after she finished runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, she took to the same track to measure up against the top runners in the country.
In the first round of competition June 19, Jones reset her personal best and new school record, clocking 12.64 to finish second in her heat and advance to the semifinals the next day. She just missed the cut to advance to the 9-competitor final round with her time of 12.68, which placed her 10th overall.
After her season came to an end, she tweeted: 麻豆精品 S�13.3 to 12.6 in one season.. I can 麻豆精品 S檛 complain.. one thing I do know is that it 麻豆精品 S檚 only up from here. 麻豆精品 S�
Boone couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 agree more.
麻豆精品 S淲e were just talking the other day and Rayniah said, 麻豆精品 S楥oach, I 麻豆精品 S檓 not running 13s anymore. 麻豆精品 S� I said, 麻豆精品 S業 know, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Boones says. 麻豆精品 S淪he 麻豆精品 S檚 found out she 麻豆精品 S檚 fast now 麻豆精品 S� and whatever she sets her mind to is what she 麻豆精品 S檚 going to do. 麻豆精品 S�
