LSU senior sprinter Travia Jones is looking to close out her indoor career with a bang.
Jones runs the 400m sprint and the 4×400 relay for the Tigers, and in 2016 she was named an All-American as a member of the relay team.
“It means a lot,” coach Dennis Shaver said on Jones being named an All-American. “The biggest thing for her is that she is a very consistent hard working athlete. Each year she has been here, she has gotten just a little bit better. That is the way it is supposed to work, and she has gained a lot of confidence too, but I know it means a lot to her family.”
However, Jones is not the only star runner in her family. Her sister Tenaya Jones competed in hurdles at LSU from 2008-11, and was named All-SEC team three times.
Shaver said he saw the same improvement year to year from Tenaya that he sees in Travia.
“They have been very similar because Tenaya came, and although it was in a completely different event, she too showed that consistency in one year to the next,” Shaver said. “I just attribute that to the support system that they have with their parents, they are very supportive of them.”
Travia credits her parents as her biggest supporters, but credits her sister as someone who brings out the competitive nature in her.
“We run different events,” Travia said, “but she is a very competitive person, so of course, I have to be, too.”
Jones’s competitive nature has helped her tremendously in her senior year which was on full display at the Tyson Invitational.
Jones broke 53 seconds on her individual 400m run, setting a personal-record of 52.92. That time was good enough for third in the field, but also put her in contention to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jones would then run the anchor leg in the 4x400m relay, and she had highest split in field with a time of 51.02. That time helped the Lady Tigers win the 4x400m championship at the Tyson Invitational with a time of three minutes and 32.33 seconds.
“I have never split that time before,” Jones said, “When I saw it, I was shocked. I really did not believe it. I just got out hard and finished strong, and just gave it my all.”
Jones’s performance at the Tyson Invitational is reminiscent of the work she has shown throughout her career and the beginning of this season.
Shaver said he thinks thought Jones’ experience has helped her gain confidence in her ability and is a main factor in Jones’ great start to the season.
“The biggest thing with any athletes is they have to have confidence in themselves,” Shaver said, “That is the difference this year. She has had some early success, and she is a lot more confident in what she is capable of doing now.”
In Shaver’s view, the added confidence is making Jones a much more aggressive runner.
“She has always been hesitant to get out an attack that race just being unsure of how she would be able to finish,” Shaver said, “She has changed her thinking a little bit over the last month or so, and she has gained more confidence. I think her best indoor races are yet to come during our championship part of our season.”
Jones felt that being aggressive and starting strong were what she needed to focus on headed into this season.
“It is something I had to work on, since a lot more people get out more aggressive,” Jones said. “I knew that I had to change up my race, practice on getting out hard while finishing strong.”
Jones now turns her sights to the SEC Indoor Championships, which take place Friday, Feb.24 and Saturday, Feb.25.
Jones will most likely compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships which take place on March 10 and March 11, two weeks after the SEC Championships.
Jones said her goal is not to just make it to nationals, but win.
LSU senior sprinter Travia Jones is looking to close out her indoor career with a bang.
Jones runs the 400m sprint and the 4×400 relay for the Tigers, and in 2016 she was named an All-American as a member of the relay team.
“It means a lot,” coach Dennis Shaver said on Jones being named an All-American. “The biggest thing for her is that she is a very consistent hard working athlete. Each year she has been here, she has gotten just a little bit better. That is the way it is supposed to work, and she has gained a lot of confidence too, but I know it means a lot to her family.”
However, Jones is not the only star runner in her family. Her sister Tenaya Jones competed in hurdles at LSU from 2008 to 2011, and was named All-SEC team three times.
Shaver said he saw the same improvement year to year from Tenaya that he sees in Travia.
“They have been very similar because Tenaya came, and although it was in a completely different event, she too showed that consistency in one year to the next,” Shaver said. “I just attribute that to the support system that they have with their parents, they are very supportive of them.”
Travia credits her parents as her biggest supporters, but her sister as someone who brings out the competitive nature in her.
“We run different events,” Travia said, “but she is a very competitive person, so of course, I have to be, too.”
The competitive nature of Jones has helped her tremendously in her senior year. That competitive nature was on full display at the Tyson Invitational.
Jones broke 53 seconds on her individual 400m run, setting a personal-record of 52.92. That time was good enough for third in the field, but also put her in contention to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jones would then run the anchor leg in the 4x400m relay, and she had highest split in field with a time of 51.02. That time helped the Lady Tigers win the 4x400m championship at the Tyson Invitational with a time of 3 minutes and 32.33 seconds.
“I have never split that time before,” Jones said, “When I saw it, I was shocked. I really did not believe it. I just got out hard and finished strong, and just gave it my all.”
Jones’s performance at the Tyson Invitational is something that is reminiscent of the work she has shown throughout her career and the beginning of this season.
Shaver thought Jones’s experience has helped her gain confidence in her ability and is a main factor for Jones’s great start to the season.
“The biggest thing with any athletes is they have to have confidence in themselves,” Shaver said, “That is the difference this year. She has had some early success, and she is a lot more confident in what she is capable of doing now.”
In Shaver’s view the added confidence is making Jones a much more aggressive runner.
“She has always been hesitant to get out an attack that race just being unsure of how she would be able to finish,” Shaver said, “She has changed her thinking a little bit over the last month or so, and she has gained more confidence. I think her best indoor races are yet to come during our championship part of our season.”
Jones felt that being aggressive and starting strong was something she needed to focus on headed into this season.
“It is something I had to work on, since a lot more people get out more aggressive,” Jones said. “I knew that I had to change up my race, practice on getting out hard while finishing strong.”
Jones now turns her sights to the SEC Indoor Championships, which take place Friday, February 24, and Saturday, February 25.
Jones will most likely compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships which take place on March 10 and March 11, two weeks after the SEC Championships.
Jones said her goal is not to just make it to nationals, but win.