Thursday, December 10, 2020

Being able to keep running is truly a gift

It was a year of competition for University of Illinois-Springfield freshman Ryan Jones, but as far as eligibility purposes, it did not count.

The Marian Central Catholic High School graduate, a freshman cross-country runner for UIS, was one of the lucky few who had a chance to have a cross-country season during the fall months.

“I was very appreciative of the opportunity to safely compete this fall,” the former Hurricane runner said. “I think the fact that we were able to still compete and have a season is a testament not only to our coaches, but the coaches in the Great Lakes Valley Conference overall. Every runner on the UIS team stayed healthy throughout the entire season. As far as my eligibility, I will make that decision in the future based on where I am with my education. But at this point, I still have four years of eligibility in cross-country.”

Since Thanksgiving, the Marengo resident has been home learning remotely exclusively.

“I prefer to learn in the classroom,” Jones said. “Athletically, many steps have been made to ensure that everything is safe as possible when training. The cross-country team has grown very close, very quickly. We work as one so that we can all get better.”

This article appeared in the Woodstock Independent on December 9, 2020.