@fullname - Track and Field - University of Colorado Athletics

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Track and Field: 44th Prefontaine Classic

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Dani Jones

Position:
Distance
Height:
5-5
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Phoenix, Ariz.
High School:
Desert Vista

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (4) 2019 NCAA Champion (Outdoor 5,000-meters) 2018 NCAA Cross Country Champion 2017 NCAA Champion (Indoor 3k) 2017 NCAA Champion (DMR) ALL-AMERICA HONORS (12) 2020 All-American (DMR) 2020 All-American (Indoor 800) 2020 All-American (Mile) 2019 All-American First Team (Outdoor 5,000) 2018 All-American Cross Country (1^st) 2018 All-American First Team (Indoor Mile) 2017 All-American Cross Country (10^th) 2017 All-America First (Indoor 3k) 2017 All-America First (DMR) 2017 All-America First Team (Outdoor 1,500) 2016 All-America Second Team (Outdoor 1,500) 2016 All-American Cross Country PAC-12 CHAMPION (5) 2019 Pac-12 5,000 Champion 2018 Pac-12 Cross Country Champion 2017 Pac-12 Cross Country Champion 2017 Pac-12 1,500 Champion 2017 Pac-12 5,000 Champion MPSF CHAMPION 2017 Distance Medley Relay CU HONORS CU Record Holder (Indoor DMR) CU Record Holder (Indoor 800) 2nd CU History Mile 2nd CU History 3,000 2nd CU History 5,000 2nd CU History DMR 3rd CU History 1,500 6th CU History Outdoor 800 7th CU History Outdoor 5,000 2016-17 CU Female Co-Athlete of the Year 2017-18 CU Female Co-Athlete of the Year 2018-19 CU Femate Athlete of the Year 2019-20 CU Female Career Athlete of the Year	TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2018 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship HONORS 2018 USTFCCCA Female Runner of the Year (Cross) 2018 Honda Cup Award Winner (Cross) 2020 USTFCCCA Female Runner of the Year (Indoor) NCAA APPEARANCES (13) 2015 Cross Country (49th) 2016 1,500-meters (9th) 2016 Cross Country (22nd) 2017 3,000-meters (1st) 2017 DMR (1st) 2017 1,500-meters (5th) 2017 Cross Country (10th) 2018 Mile (2nd) 2018 Cross Country (1st) 2019 Outdoor 5,000 (1st) 2020 Indoor 800 (Canceled) 2020 Mile (Canceled) 2020 DMR (Canceled) NCAA SCORING (5) 2017 (I) 3,000-meters, 1st (9:09.20) 2017 (I) Distance medley relay, 1st (11:00.34) 2017 (O) 1,500-meters, 5th (4:14.35) 2018 Mile, 2^nd (4:31.82) 2019 (O) 5,000-meters, 1st (15:50.65) PAC-12 SCORING (4) 2016 1,500-meters, 7th (4:20.34) 2017 1,500-meters, 1st (4:22.09) 2017 5,000-meters, 1st (16:12.76) 2019 5,000-meters, 1st (15:54.86) MPSF SCORING (2) 2016 Mile, 4th (4:39.56) 2017 Distance medley relay, 1st (10:58.68) ACADEMIC HONORS Academic All-MPSF (2017, 18, 20) Five-time Pac-12 All-Academic (2019, 20) USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2019)

2020: Indoor: Went on a 15-day tear of the track beginning on anchoring the DMR at the Colorado Invitational to the fifth-fastest time that season and second in school history ... The following day she broke Mary Decker's 42-year old school record in the indoor 800 at 2:04.35, at altitude ... Competed in the 113th Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile where she finished seventh in the race with the fastest time ever run by a collegiate runner there ... Her mark was good for sixth in NCAA history at 4:27.88 ... Went to BU to compete in the 5,000 on Valentines Day where she posted the ninth-best mark in NCAA history in 15:17.11, making her the only female athlete with NCAA top-10 marks in the mile and 5,000 on a 200-meter track every ... Was aiming for the 800/mile double when the indoor season was canceled ... Named the 2020 USTFCCCA Indoor Female Athlete of the Year.
Outdoor: Canceled (Coronavirus)
2019: Indoor: Redshirted.
Outdoor: Opened her season with the 1,500 at the Jack Christiansen Invitational and then flipped her focus to the 5,000 ... Won the Pac-12 Championships to open her 5,000 season and qualify for regionals ... Placed sixth at the West Preliminaries ... Held onto a stacked field and pushed in the final 300-meters at the NCAA Championships to capture the outdoor 5,000 national championship, her fourth total to put her in a six-way tie for the most national titles in school history (other track athletes include Jenny Barringer and Adam Goucher) ... Continued her season with her eye on a World Championships Team ... Ran 4:07.28 at the Prefontaine Classic for a personal best ... Finished fifth in her heat at the USA Outdoor Championships in the 1,500 prelims ... She finished 10th in the prelims and was just a half of a second away from qualifying for the finals.
2018: Indoor: Jones competed in the mile and the 3,000-meter run during her 2018 indoor campaign. She raced three times in the mile and recorded a personal best at the NCAA Championships in March. She brought home a second place and clocked in at 4:31.82. She raced once in the 3,000 meters at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in February and finished in 9:05.23 for seventh place.
Outdoor: Jones did not compete in any collegiate races during her 2018 outdoor season; however, she competed in several national races. She won the Prefontaine Classic in the 1,500 where she finished in 4:07.74. She also competed at the Portland Track Classic where she brought home third place in the 1,500 with a time of 4:07.33. Finally, she competed at the USATF Championships, and brought home fifth place in the 1,500 with a time of 4:09.16.
2017: Indoor: Jones had an outstanding sophomore indoor season, highlighted by a pair of national titles in the 3,000-meter run and the distance medley relay. In her first of two 3k’s of the season, Jones ran the third fastest time by a Buffs, running 9:02.22 to place second at the Husky Classic (2/11). At the MSPF Championships, she did not compete as an individual, but as the anchor leg of the distance medley relay, which broke the school record while winning the conference title in 10:58.68. Jones capped off the season at the NCAA Championship. On the first night of the meet, she anchored the DMR to its first national championship in the event. Jones was fourth with one lap to go and moved up to third with 150 meters remaining. She kept creeping up on the leaders, Oregon and Stanford. All three had to lean at the line, but it was Jones who finished first, helping CU to the narrow .02 second win over Stanford (11:00.34-11:00.6). Oregon had to settle for third (11:00.68). The following night, Jones kept things exciting as she used another strong kick to win the 3k title in 9:09.20, defeating the runner-up by .13 seconds.
Outdoor: Jones turned her attention to the 1,500 in the spring, but not before racing a personal record in the 800-meter run at the Cardinal Classic (4/21), which was her first meet of the season. Jones clocked the third fastest time in CU history (2:04.35) to place third overall at the meet. Jones had an outstanding Pac-12 meet, winning a pair of titles. She was the 1,500 champion (4:33.09) and just a short time after winning that event, Jones came back to win the 5,000 (16:12.76). She went on to race the 1,500 into the NCAA Championships after placing second at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships. Jones won the first round at NCAAs in 4:10.74, which put her third on CU’s all-time performers list. In the finals, she ended up fifth to earn first team All-America honors in the event. Her season did not end there as she competed a couple days later at the Portland Track Festival where she ran 4:08.42, which was the fastest 1,500 time by a collegiate runner in the 2017 season.
2016: Indoor: Jones raced a pair of mile runs during her freshman season and quickly became one of the best milers in CU history. In her first mile at the Husky Classic (2/13), Jones clocked a personal best of 4:38.68. The time was the seventh fastest at the meet and put her third on CU’s all-time performers list. Two weeks later at the MPSF Championship, Jones ran 4:39.56 to earn a fourth place finish.
Outdoor: Jones continued to have a great freshman campaign, focusing on the middle distance events. She became the freshman school record holder in both the 800 and 1,500-meter runs and also ranks third overall in the 800 and sixth in the 1,500. Jones only raced the 800 twice, but her personal record of 2:05.27 put her fifth in her section of the Payton Jordan Invitational. She also won the 800 (2:08.97) at the CU Invite. Jones did the majority of her racing in the 1,500, proving to be one of the best in the country. During the regular season, she was third at the Stanford Twilight, finishing in a then-season best 4:15.29. At the Pac-12 Championships, Jones was finished eighth overall (4:20.34) to pick up a point for the team score. She clocked the fastest time (4:17.16) at the NCAA West Preliminary Round to advance to NCAAs, where she finished the prelims with a personal best of 4:13.44, which was second overall. Jones finished ninth overall (4:15.86) in the finals to earn her first All-American second team honor on the track.

CROSS COUNTRY: (2018) Jones definitely saved the best for last as she capped off her collegiate cross country career with an NCAA individual and team title. Jones raced four times, and all four times, she led the Buffs, finishing no lower than sixth. The Buffaloes won the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational to start the season with Jones finishing fourth. Jones had four weeks off before racing at the Pac-12 Championship, where she successfully defended her conference title and became the first Buff since Molly Austin to win back-to-back titles (2001-02). With the win, she was named the Pac-12 Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year for the second straight season and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team for the third consecutive year. But Jones was not done. At regionals, she finished sixth to become a four-time all-region honoree. At the NCAA Championship, Jones went out with the leaders and never looked back as she became the first female Buff since Kara Grgas-Wheeler (now Goucher) to win an NCAA individual title. She passed New Mexico’s Weini Kelati in the final stretch and defeated her by 2.5 seconds. Her point, in addition to the score from her first four teammates to cross the line, gave CU a point total of 65 as they easily defeated UNM (103). With the win, Jones became a three-time All-American and was also named the USTFCCCA Female Athlete of the Year. She was also tabbed the USATF Athlete of the Week for her winning performance. In addition, Jones was selected the Honda Sports Award winner for Cross Country, becoming just the third Buff in school history to earn the honor.
(2017) Jones easily had the best cross country season of her career as a junior. She led the Buffs in four of its five varsity races, and picked up several awards and honors in the process. Jones started the season off running unattached at the Colorado State Invitational, finishing fifth overall. In the first varsity meet of the season, Jones place third overall at the Joe Piane Invitational. She was third again at the NCAA Pre-National Invitational before going on to take the individual crown at the Pac-12 Championships, earning herself Pac-12 Female Cross Country Athlete Of The Year honors. With the victory, Jones became the first Buff, male or female, to win an individual Pac-12 Cross Country title. She was the first female to win a cross country title since 2009 when Jenny Barringer Simpson took home the Big 12 title. The NCAA Mountain Region Championship was the only race Jones did not led CU – there she tied for 12th with her teammate Sage Hurta – as the second and third Buffs to finish the race. Jones went on to finish 10th individual at the NCAA Championships, the best finish for a Buff since Shalaya Kipp’s ninth place finish in 2013. Jones recorded all-region and All-America honors for her final two races.
(2016) Jones had an outstanding sophomore season, starting right out of the gate. She was fourth overall (and fourth on the team) for CU at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, finishing in 20:17, the 11th fastest time in course history. Two weeks later at pre-nationals, Jones was third for the Buffs, placing 17th overall. She improved again in her next race, placing third overall (CU’s No. 2) at the Pac-12 Championships, helping the Buffs to their second straight team title. Jones was 12th at regionals but had her best race of the season at NCAAs, where she led the team with her 22nd place finish to record her first All-America honor. She also earned All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Mountain Region recognition during the season.
(2015) Jones earned a spot on the varsity roster quickly as a true freshman and scored for the Buffs in each of the five races she competed in. She started the season by placing fourth at the Rocky Mountain Shootout. Jones was 62^nd overall at NCAA Pre-Nationals and improved to 24^th at Pac-12s. Jones earned all-region honors by placing 16^th at regionals and finished the season with a 49^th place finish at nationals as the team earned a second place finish.

HIGH SCHOOL: The 2014-15 Arizona Gatorade Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Jones won the state cross country championship with a course record time of 17:26, leading her team to its second straight state title. Jones placed third at the 2014 Nike Cross Nationals Final, pacing her team to a fifth-place national finish overall and earning All-American honors in the process. She was also runner-up at the Nike Pre-Nationals, the Woodbridge Classic and the Desert Twilight Festival. In 2013, she won her first state cross country title and was 15th at Nike Cross Nationals, which also earned her All-American honors. Jones has been very successful on the track as well. She owns state records in the 1,600 (4:44), mile (4:39) and 3,200 (10:09)) and owns the school 800 record (2:08). Jones won state titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 as a senior, the 1,600 and 3,200 as a junior and during her sophomore year, she was the 800 and 1,600 champion. She was also recruited by Michigan State, Georgetown, Duke and Indiana.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Jones is majoring in psychology as well as speech, language and hearing sciences. She has a GPA greater than 3.10.

PERSONAL: Danielle ‘Dani’ Alex Jones was born on August 21, 1996 in Fort Wayne, Ind. to Darcy and Tana Jones. She has one sister, Baylee, who was the Arizona state runner-up in the 1,600 and 3,200. Both of her parents ran track and cross country at Indiana State. She enjoys hiking and reading.