MOSCOW, Russia – Next month Savannah State track record holder Amara Jones will be part of the Bahamian 4x400 meter relay team competing at the 14th International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championship in Athletics, held in Moscow, Russia.
Jones graduated from Savannah State Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science in May of 2012. In July, Jones made history by joining her native Bahamian track team at the 2012 London Olympics as an alternate in the 4x100 meter relay. The Freeport, Grand Bahama native was the first female track athlete from SSU to qualify for the Olympics.
“I am excited, and I'm thankful for the role that SSU has played in my success,” Jones said. “Especially Coach Whitaker, the Athletic Department, and my professors who were always supportive.”
During the historic Penn Relay’s this past April, Jones ran a 52.9 clip as the second leg of the relay, helping the team to a 3:32.9 overall time and qualifying for the World Championship.
The IAAF Championship is set for August 10-18. The Bahamian women’s 4x400 team is set to compete in heats beginning on August 17. The Bahamian’s have not fielded a women’s 4x400m team in several years.
The IAAF World Championship is a biennial event, held in the opposite years of the Olympics. Several world renowned track and field stars have competed in past events, including Michael Johnson, Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis.
During Jones’ tenure at Savannah State, she set school records in the women’s 200 Meters, and 400 Meters, and was on the team that set a new school record in the 4x100m relay. She was the first Savannah State female athlete to garner an individual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) award. Jones was named MEAC Athlete of the Week three times in the 2011-12 season.
Jones represented Savannah State in two Division I NCAA Track and Field National Championships as a sophomore and a senior. She led the SSU women’s outdoor track and field team in the 2012 MEAC Championship with first place honors in the 200m and 400m dashes. She also took top honors in the 400m dash in the 2011-12 MEAC Indoor Track and Field Championship.