May 22, 2016 Women's Declared Athletes | NCAA West Preliminaries Site
Jones was moved into the women's 48-runner 5,000-meter field after a medical scratch was released Sunday. She was next on the list when the original field was announced Thursday. The regionals will be run at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas from May 26-28. The 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships returns to Eugene, Ore., June 8-11.
"We're always on the edge of possibilities," Jones said. "When I found out I didn't make it in Thursday, I oddly felt whole, complete, like even if the whole collegiate athletic experience was to happen all over again I wouldn't change a thing. The journey was so much more than I could have imagined. But, prayers for the girl that had to do a medical scratch, that's tough."
Jones ran a 16:28.29 at the Oregon Relays on April 15. The senior has the fourth-best time on the program's all-time list, 16:27.88, which was at the 2015 Oregon Relays. In her last 5,000-meter race, she won the West Coast Invitational with a time of 16:51.36. The Richland, Wash. native also ran a 16:36.56 at the Stanford Invitational this season.
"(Maggie) is pretty excited as am I," GU women's Head Coach Patty Ley said. "This is an awesome opportunity. She just returned from retreat and is in an awesome place mentally, spiritually and physically. We're just excited for another chance to race!"
Jones' semifinal race is at 6:05 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday. Mils and Manley will compete in their respective steeplechase races on Friday. Live video and results will be available on GoZags.com.
