PEMBROKE — Kory Jones will continue his sophomore campaign into the NCAA postseason as the Raeford native was among 19 student-athletes nationwide selected to compete for the national title in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 26-28, in Bradenton, Fla.
The announcement marked the fifth time in the last seven years that the Braves have had an athlete selected to participate in NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field’s premier event. Jamel Allison earned all-America honors after finishing fourth in the long jump in 2009 and Maurice Eubanks earned all-America honors with sixth place finishes in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 2011. Pardon Ndhlovu earned trips to the NCAA Championships in both 2012 (10,000-meter run) and 2013 (5,000-meter run) and, on both occasions, earned all-America status as well.
Kyera Tennyson became the first women’s track student-athlete to qualify for the event in 2010, finishing 9th in the long jump.
Jones nabbed an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the long jump on three occasions this season, including personal-best leaps of 7.45 meters at both the Peach Belt Conference Championships in Pembroke and the Aggie Last Chance meet on Sunday in Greensboro. He also registered NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the high jump with a height of 2.03 meters at both the season-opening Braves Classic and the Raleigh Relays.
The Hoke County High School product won five event titles during the outdoor season, including league championships in both the long jump and high jump. He also logged four event titles during the indoor season as well.
