Despite not qualifying for NCAA cross country nationals, redshirt sophomore Aidan Jones aspires to qualify next year and hopes the team continues to improve throughout next season.
Gophers’ cross country concluded their season at the NCAA Midwest Regional, where the men ranked sixth and the women fifth overall.
“It was pretty hard for us to qualify this year as the two top teams in our region automatically qualify, and this year the two top teams in our region are also the two best teams nationally,” Jones said. “We can definitely improve even more and make it to nationals.”
Jones crossed the finish line first for the Gophers, something he did multiple times this season.
Jones said his ability to finish first multiple times this season is due to becoming more experienced.
“I finished first for the team only one time last season, and I would say that was due to a lack of experience,” Jones said. “I strengthened my mentality this season and learned that no matter in which spot I am in the race, I can still pass some people and better my spot for the team.”
Jones has been running cross-country since middle school. He finished 14th at the Midwest Regional XC Championships and was sixth at the NXR Heartland Regionals during his high school career.
Before joining the Gophers, he was named the Star Tribune Metro Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2022.
Assistant coach Brad Wick said Jones continues to make a strong contribution to the team, thanks to his improvement in mileage.
“From freshman year, the biggest improvement has come in his consistency, his consistency in training and his consistency at racing at a high level,” Wick said. “Early on, it was a good week or two of training, and then he would have setbacks or his legs would just get super tired.”
Jones added part of the improvement comes with the love he has for the sport, attributing it mostly to his family.
“I think, definitely family, one of the biggest things for me is, just because it’s something that I grew up with,” Jones said. “They really do a lot for me, and so I always keep them in mind when I’m trying to race, and use them as some motivation to do well.”
Jones’ performance pushed his teammates through the entire season during competitions and practices, according to Wick.
“Aidan has a great work ethic and the right mindset going into races that he is going to be up front and competitive,” Wick said. “His consistency at practice and in races allows guys on the team to be able to count on him and he, in turn, can count on his teammates to be right on his shoulder.”
Jones reflected on how much work he has put into his career as a runner.
“I’ve probably come the furthest in terms of PRs on paper, because I was running really slow in 7th grade, but I was just having so much fun with it,” Jones said.
Jones is expected to compete in the upcoming track and field season while waiting for the next cross country season. He ran the 1500, 5000 and 10,000-meter runs last year.
“Being able to have fun in your sport is definitely the biggest factor that leads to improving,” Jones said. “Some of those days, it can be hard to show up, especially in the winter, when it’s, like, minus 40 outside, the last thing I want to do some of these days is roll out of bed and get running, but I think it is important to be able to ground yourself.”
Update: A previous version of the article had the headline “Aidan Jones hopes for growth after Gopher Men’s CrossCountry ranked sixth in the NCAA Midwest Regional competition.” It has been updated to read “Aidan Jones hopes for Cross Country growth after Gophers rank sixth in regionals.”
