Raising the bar to D1
State champion pole vaulter and senior Jacqueline Jones (she/her) will take her talents to California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. Coming from a long line of distance runners, Jones’ career began with joining the Inglemoor track team, something her father encouraged her to do after she briefly expressed interest in pole vaulting. After spending most of her life training for gymnastics, Jones felt she could make a successful attempt at the new sport. Despite her current personal record of 13 feet 0.75 inches, Jones hopes that a more structured lifting and training program in college will help her clear 14 feet, just 9 inches under the Olympic standard.
After a grueling recruitment process, she settled on her final four schools of UC Berkeley, Cal Poly, Stanford and UCLA. Jones placed an emphasis on strong academic programs in the Golden State. Although prestige was an initial consideration, she prioritized overall fit after several official visits paid for by the program at each university.
In an individual sport like track, there are fewer concerns about the athletic conference and the level of competition. The Division I Big Sky Conference, which Cal Poly is a part of, may not face schools with the name recognition as the Atlantic Coast Conference or Big Ten, but Jones is still able to qualify for the same competitions.
“You can perform the same at a DIII school, as a DII school, as a DI school; just find the coach and the program and the school that fits you the best,” Jones said. “It doesn’t have to be the most prestigious or in the best conference, because you can still win NCAAs no matter what program you’re a part of.”
Jones said that being in the right environment is incredibly important for students interested in recruitment, especially due to the pressure placed on athletes who are deciding between schools. Jones said that the most valuable thing for her to do was to listen to herself. That started with choosing the team and the coach that she felt were the best fit.
“I think it’s hard, but you really just have to tune out what other people say, because other people aren’t you. They don’t know you. Even some of your closest family, they don’t know you,” Jones said. “They don’t understand you, and your relationship with your sport and your academics, and how that all works together. You are the only person that knows that. You just have to listen to yourself.”
