Jones delivers dramatic title to Buffaloes

Sophomore rallies Colorado from ninth on anchor leg to edge Stanford and Oregon in closest DMR final in indoor championship history

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Dani Jones was part of the greatest anchor-leg battle in the history of the 4x1,600 relay at the Arcadia Invitational, only to come up just short two years ago of rallying Desert Vista AZ past Great Oak CA.

Jones can now add most thrilling anchor on the women's distance medley relay at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships to her resume following Friday's performance in College Station, Texas.

The Colorado sophomore received the baton in ninth place and was still in third with 35 meters remaining before surging past Stanford's Elise Cranny and Oregon's Katie Rainsberger to lift the Buffaloes to their first title in the closest finish in the 23-year history of the event at the indoor final.

Colorado, which also featured Tabor Scholl, Elissa Mann and Sage Hurta, clocked 11:00.34 to edge Stanford in 11:00.36, with Oregon third in 11:00.68.

"We were hoping to be top five, so this is a great surprise. My team set me up perfectly," said Jones, who split 4:31.70 on the 1,600-meter anchor.

"I figure I had plenty of time and if I stayed in the back, I'd stay away from traffic and set myself up to do some passing on the last lap. I know everyone's strengths and weaknesses, but with those two girls, there's no weaknesses.

"It's any given day and I just knew I had to stay smart, while running well tactically at the same point because I'm with the best girls in the country."

Jones remained in ninth with two laps to go, before moving up to fourth entering the final 200. After Cranny made the first move with 100 meters remaining, Jones continued to stay patient, using the final curve to swing wide and sprint past Cranny and Rainsberger before executing a well-timed lean at the finish.

"I was thinking of these three and how much it would mean to us if that were to happen for us," Jones said. "I knew there was enough space where I could kick and still win. They just set me up really well and we were in great position. I think everyone ran their best legs today."

Colorado's victory eclipsed Villanova's record for narrowest win in 2010, when the Wildcats edged Oregon by a 10:52.52 to 10:52.90 margin.

"That's how we get the best out of each other every day in practice. Everyone is pulling for everybody else," Hurta said. "So when it comes to race day, it's the same thing and that's when we click."

The Buffaloes' rally helped erase some of the disappointment of their third-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, when Oregon upset favored Colorado to capture the title.

"I would say definitely. It feels good," Scholl said. "It's a blessing to have these women to train with and race with and win with. I think it takes the stigma off of Colorado being only a long distance, grind program and it showcases all that we have."

Oregon had set the collegiate record Jan. 27 when Rainsberger teamed with Lilli Burdon, Ashante Horsley and Raevyn Rogers to clock 10:48.77 at the Columbia East-West Challenge. Brooke Feldmeier ran Friday in place of Rogers, who competed earlier in the 800 prelims.

Colorado edged Stanford – which had Vanessa Fraser, Missy Mongiovi and Malika Waschmann team with Cranny – for the second time in two weeks after prevailing by a 10:58.68 to 10:59.82 margin Feb. 24 at the MPSF Indoor Championships, with Jones also getting the better of Cranny on the anchor.

"We were just happy to be here. That was just picture perfect. I don't even know what to say," Mann said. "Watching her come from behind at MPSF, I knew she would be calm and I had faith the whole time. I knew as long as she was there with a lap to go, there is no stopping Dani."