Women's Cross Country | 10/20/2016 1:40:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY — If the month of October is any indicator of what is to come, women's cross country senior Emma Jones (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta)' future looks bright.
 
Jones has broken her own school record over 6,000-meters twice within the past two weeks. On Oct. 1 at the Mike Woods Invitational at nearby Letchworth State Park, she ran a blazing time of 21:39.8, before shattering that by an incredible 30 seconds just two weeks later, at the NCAA Pre-Regional Meet hosted by Rowan University on Oct. 15.
 
"She is racing with a fire now that I can't even quantify," said RIT women's cross country head coach Dave Stevens. "After feeling like last year she missed an opportunity to make All-American, there's a drive there that she didn't have before."
 
In the 2015 NCAA Championships, Jones unexpectedly lost a shoe early in the 6,000-meter race, and despite that, finished a respectable 81^st, marking the best finish for an RIT runner at the national stage. Despite the rough start, Jones nearly became the first All-American in program history.
 
Stevens said Jones has become a leader in the past two seasons, but it is not always from what she says. That rests with captain Emily Knaul (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), who said Jones "isn't the loudest person, but doesn't need to be because her actions speak for her."
 
"Cross country seems like an individual sport, but when you're out there and you're pushing yourself and you don't know if you can go higher, you really rely on your teammates," said Knaul, a classmate of Jones. "Emma is always going to be doing her best, so that helps you to do your best too."
 
Jones does all of this while excelling in the classroom as a new media design major. She firmly believes that competing as a cross country and track and field athlete actually makes it easier for her stay on task on an everyday basis outside of competition.
 
"I think running actually helps balance it," said Jones. "It sets aside a chunk of the day so I don't have the chance to relax, so it kind of helps balance all of the workload of school."
 
The success that Jones has reached is not a shock to either Stevens and Knaul, because of Jones' motivation and work ethic.
 
"It's never a surprise for her to do so well," said Knaul. "She works hard every day and for her that's normal. It's not, 'today I'm going to put in more effort.' It's every day that she puts in the effort."
 
Stevens said he thinks Jones exemplifies the term student-athlete perfectly. 
 
"I think in a lot of ways RIT was the perfect place for Emma Jones (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta)," said Stevens. "She is the type of kid that excels in our program athletically and academically. She's a young woman who's never missed a practice, she's never late, and always does what's asked of her."
 
The Tigers return to action on Oct. 29 in the Liberty League Championship, which will take place at Seneca Lake Park in nearby Geneva. RIT will head back to Rowan for the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship on Nov. 12 RIT earned its first trip to the NCAA Championship as a team in 2015 and will look to duplicate that feat next month.
 
Jones will look to qualify for the national meet and become RIT's first All-American at the NCAA Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 19.
 
"She's very, very determined to make All-American," said Stevens. "I think the history of the program is what's driving her right now. She wants to leave that legacy behind her, and she wants to be the first All-American in our program's history."