Nicea Jones, Malverne senior, named NYS Federation Champion

Nicea Jones, a rising senior at Malverne High School, was recently crowned New York State Federation Champion in the 400 meter track and field event, on June 8 in Cicero, in a time of 55.71 seconds, topping all student athletes in public, private and Catholic schools in division I or II.

Though she is a state champion, Jones is staying humble and ready to prepare for next season.

“I want to strive for better next season,” Jones said. “I know I did really good this season, but I want to be better.”

Jones is always competing against herself. While winning is important to her, what matters most to her is that she performs to the best of her abilities.

“I try not to run against others, I try to beat my time,” Jones said. “It’s all about you, you want to beat yourself, not nobody else.”

“Nicea personifies our theme for this year, ‘Greatness Unleashed,’” Malverne superintendent Lorna Lewis said in a statement to the Herald. “We are so proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her bright future. I think she just may be in the next Olympics representing our nation.”

Jones started running in 6th grade, taking after her older sister who is a year ahead her. She tried many sports and did not like them — until she fell in love with track.

Jones has more than a natural speed, said those that know her — she has a determination to better herself.

Rickita Jennings, the Malverne High School varsity track head coach who has coached Jones since her freshman year, described her as a humble runner with natural talent and an amazing work ethic.

“She is a warm spirited, fun, energetic young lady,” Jennings said. “She comes with a smile; she brings joy to our team, and she works really hard. She’s just a natural talent.

“She doesn’t do a lot of talking. She lets her accolades, she lets her time, she lets how she competes do the talking.”

Along with her humbleness and natural talent, Jones is extremely dedicated to bettering herself any chance she can.

“She’s probably the one athlete that I ever coached that really enjoys practice,” Jennings said. “She will come to practice every single day; she’s going to work hard in practice. She usually runs with some of our boys because of how competitive and how fast she is.”

This attitude Jones has when it comes to training has made her a leader of her team. Jennings sees her set the example that many of her young teammates follow. Just like her older teammates, Jones serves as a mentor to the younger students, and motivates them to be the best runner they can be.

“A lot of our team were younger girls,” Jennings said. “She took a lot of them under her wing. She motivated them, she supported them when they felt they couldn’t do something.”

As she heads into her senior year, Jones is looking forward to her last season with Malverne. She is spending the summer staying in shape and preparing for next season and plans to beat her time and become a two-time New York State Federation Champion.

“I still workout with my coach, I still workout with my family, I still run by myself,” Jones said.

Jones plans to continue her track and field career in college. She is actively being recruited and is very excited to receive offers, she said. With her next-level accolades, strong work ethic and natural talent, Jones is confident that she will find a program that will challenge her and help her grow as an athlete.