By: T. Chapman
Nevisian Kaliyah Jones punches her ticket to the national stage with a time of 1:18.42 seconds at the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartan Invite which was held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Friday.
Kaliyah Jones Debut Performance
Jones opened the day with a bang for the Mustangs, making her debut in the Women’s 500m.
Jones, a Freshman, copped fifth place overall in the field of 38 with a time of 1:18.42 seconds.
Her time qualifies her for the 2025 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 600m (1:38.84) event. The NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Lubbock Texas.
Nevisian Coach Shirvon Greene Impressed with Kaliyah’s Debut Performance
An elated Coach Greene expressed that he is happy with Kaliyah’s progress. According to Coach Greene, Kaliyah has been working very hard all season long.
As a matter of fact, she sacrificed her Christmas break where she could have gone with family, to put in the extra work.
Coach Greene
Despite being new to the event and nervous, Kaliyah held her own against sophomores and seniors who have more experience than her. In addition, she was the youngest athlete in the race.
While admitting there is a lot of work to be done, Coach Greene is satisfied with the way Jones executed her race.
She did it as best as she knows. She was very excited to get the first race jitters out and she did. Kaliyah did not even know she earned qualification until it was ratified by the NJCAA. Trust me, everything is looking good for her.
Big shout out to her personal Coach, Royston Queeley. Kaliyah is exactly the way he advertised. Special commendations to Kaliyah’s Mother, LaShell Jones and her father, Kitwana Olugbala. They have been very supportive throughout.
Jones next event is slated for January 24th. Following that, she will be in action on January 31st in Boston.
