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Rayniah Jones Embarks on Third-Consecutive NCAA Indoor Championships

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO – The Black and Gold will be represented on the big stage once again as Rayniah Jones is set to embark on her third-consecutive NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston from March 8-9. Hosted at The Track at New Balance, one of the premier indoor facilities in the nation, Jones will compete alongside 15 other student-athletes in the 60m hurdles.

The semifinals will begin Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET as Jones will feature in lane five, heat two. The top-two athletes plus the next four best times from the two heats will qualify for the finals on Saturday at 7:40 p.m. ET.

Athletes who qualify for the finals (first through eighth) of their respective events garner first-team All-America status while those who finish ninth to 16th will be named to the second team.

Jones, a seven-time All-American, has qualified for the past three Indoor Championships, a remarkable feat for one of the greatest athletes in program history. In 2022, Jones followed up her second-place finish at the 2021 Outdoor Championships with yet another podium performance, claiming third with a 7.95.

A year ago, Jones followed up her second-consecutive conference title with a second-team nod following a 12th-place finish in the prelims.

Now amid her farewell season at the collegiate level and in Black and Gold, Jones is looking more than capable of making a splash in Boston. Here’s a breakdown of the Miami native’s senior campaign thus far, one filled with incredible times and first-place finishes.

  • Rod McCravy Memorial (Jan. 12-13) | Louisville, Kentucky

The two-time Indoor All-American began 2024 with an 8.12 in the prelims of the 60m hurdles, at the time the third-fastest time in the young season. That day, she would also capture her first event win of the season in the 200m with a 23.68.

On Saturday, Jones secured a third-place finish in the 60m hurdles finals with her first sub-8.10 performance of the season, running an 8.09 to finish on the podium in a stacked field. The outing marked the fastest season opener in her career and set the tone for what was to come.

  • Corky Classic (Jan. 20) | Lubbock, Texas

The times would continue to drop for Jones at Texas Tech, running an 8.07 in the prelims of the 60m hurdles before claiming second in the finals with a strong 8.01 performance. The time marked Jones’ fastest since the aforementioned 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships.

She also continued to impress in the sprint events, as Jones would claim third in the 60m with her time of 7.25. From there, she would feature at the top of the Big 12 charts in three events (60m hurdles, 60m, 200m).

  • Crimson Elite and Scarlet and White Invitational (Feb. 2-3) | Boston, Massachusetts

The first of two back-to-back event wins in the 60m hurdles came at Harvard, as Jones would begin her day with an 8.35 in the semifinals. A second-place finish in the first round was followed by a dominant 8.05 in the finals to take first place.

On Saturday, Jones would show her versatility with a strong 23.51 in the 200m to take first and complete her first weekend in Boston.

  • Tiger Paw Invite (Feb. 9-10) | Clemson, S.C.

As Jones was banging on the door with her continued 8.0 performances, the breakthrough would come in Clemson. She started her day with an 8.02 in the semifinals alongside Adaobi Tabugbo’s personal best of 8.17.

With the attention placed on the finals, Jones rose to the occasion, winning the 60m hurdles with a season-best 7.97 and her first sub-eight performance in more than a year. The time propelled Jones into the nation’s top five where she still resides before the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships (fifth).

  • Big 12 Indoor Championships (Feb. 23-34) | Lubbock, Texas

Embarking on her first conference championship as a member of the Big 12, Jones showed why she has been and remains one of the most elite athletes in the nation. Jones was the only athlete at the Indoor Championships to qualify for the finals in both the 60m dash and 60m hurdles.

In the finals of each event, she secured points for the Knights in style. Jones claimed eight points and a second-place finish in the 60m hurdles with an 8.05 in the finals. Twenty minutes later, she would conclude her weekend with an eighth-place finish in the 60m with her 7.39 and team-leading ninth point.

You can stream Friday and Saturday's action on the ESPN family of networks. Live results will be available here.