Richard Jones Season 2009

Events: 800M (IN: 1:47.78; OUT: 1:46.42)

4-time All-American
2-time SEC Champion
3-time All-SEC

2010
The premier middle distance runner in the Southeastern Conference and one of the elite middle distance runners in the country during the 2010 season … Became the third LSU Tiger in four seasons to sweep SEC Indoor and SEC Outdoor titles in the 800-meter run, joining Jamaal James (2007) and Elkana Kosgei (2008) … Set the LSU indoor school record in the 800 meters by winning the indoor conference crown with a time of 1:47.78 … Also became an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Indoor Championships with his performance at the SEC Indoor meet … Became an All-American for the first time in the 800 meters with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. … Clocked a 1:48.92 in the national final en route to a fourth-place finish … Earned a second All-America honor during the indoor campaign while running the third leg on LSU’s 4×400-meter relay that picked up a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor meet … Helped the Tigers finish with an indoor seasonal-best time of 3:05.65 at the national meet … An all-conference performer as a member of LSU’s 4×400-meter relay team that finished in second place at the SEC Indoor Championships (3:06.11) … Carried that success into the outdoor season as he was again crowned SEC champion in the 800-meter run … Captured the conference title with a time of 1:46.81 in the final … Broke the 1:47 barrier for the first time at the LSU Alumni Gold, where he won the 800-meter title with a time of 1:46.90 … Set a new lifetime personal best of 1:46.42 to finish runner-up at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds to punch his ticket to the semifinals of the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. … Time ranks No. 3 on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the event … Set a time of 1:47.18 to finish in 11th place in the semifinal round at the NCAA Outdoor Championships … Also ran as part of LSU’s 4×400-meter relay team during the outdoor campaign … Ran the third leg on the foursome that placed fourth at the SEC Outdoor Championships with a time of 3:04.92 … Anchored on the 800-meter leg of LSU’s 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team that set a new school record with a win at the Texas Relays, clocking a time of 3:16.01 … Teamed with Caleb Williams (200 meters), Gabriel Mvumvure (200 meters) and Robert Simmons (400 meters) to set a new school record in the event.

2009
Emerged as one of the nation’s premier 800-meter runners while earning All-America honors in the event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. … Scored four points for the Tigers with a fifth-place finish in the 800-meter final at the national meet … Established a new personal-best time of 1 minute, 47.10 seconds in the NCAA final to move into the No. 6 spot on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the event … Recorded three-straight personal-best times at the national meet, including performances of 1:47.62 in the first round of qualifying and 1:47.27 in the national semifinal … Qualified automatically for the NCAA Outdoor meet with a fourth-place finish in the half mile at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships (1:49.28) … Clocked 1:47.70 in the regional semifinals … Also earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor meet while running the third leg on LSU’s 4×400-meter relay team … Teamed with Armanti Hayes, Jamar Howard and Ade Alleyne-Forte to run a seasonal best of 3:03.81 for a sixth-place finish in the NCAA final … Split 45.70 on the relay just one hour after running the 800-meter final at the national meet … Finished in 19th place in the 800 meters at the SEC Outdoor Championships (1:51.50) … Qualified for the regional meet following a runner-up finish at the Sun Angel Classic, running a time of 1:48.85 … Was the ninth-place finisher in the half mile at the SEC Indoor Championships (1:51.87) … Recorded a seasonal best NCAA provisional qualifying time at 1:49.66 at the Cyclone National Qualifier … Time of 1:49.66 is an indoor personal best.

PRIOR TO LSU
Joined the LSU program following an outstanding two-year career at Central Arizona Junior College … Set a personal best of 1:48.82 in the 800 meters to win the event title at the Willie Williams Classic in Tuscon, Ariz., during the 2008 outdoor season … Earned NJCAA All-America honors with a third-place finish in the 800 meters at the 2008 NJCAA Outdoor Championships … Clocked a time of 1:49.64 in the national final in 2008 … Also earned NJCAA All-America honors as a freshman in 2007 after finishing as the national runner-up at 800 meters with a time of 1:51.18 in the national final.

PERSONAL
Full name is Richard Justin Jones … Born on July 15, 1988 … Parents are Richard and Janice Jones … Has two sisters, Janice and Joelle … Majoring in general studies.