Trent Jones is a competitor.
And the faster his competition runs, the faster he runs.
It landed him in the IHSAA Boys’ swimming and diving state finals in February and now has him within reach of a podium finish at the IHSAA Boys’ Track and Field State Finals.
The Southmont junior is seeded fourth in the 400-meter dash after placing fourth at the regional last week with a state standard time of 48.88 seconds.
Jones is the first Montgomery County athlete to qualify for the state finals in more than one individual sport in the same school year since North Montgomery’s Dakota Ramey qualified in wrestling and placed in the discus throw in track and field back in 2013.
“It gave me a little bit more excitement coming into track, because I found out that if I can have success in swimming, that I can have even more success in the sport that’s my main thing,” Jones said. “It made me extremely excited, especially since I had a season this year. I was just eager to come out and run and it’s been a great season.”
Jones has blown his freshman numbers out of the water — setting personal records in all of his events.
“From when I ran last as a freshman, I was a small, skinny 150 pound 6-foot-2 kid,” he said. “I’m still skinny, but I’ve definitely matured physically and it’s helped me this season. I could definitely tell the difference this season when I first started running this winter.”
Former Southmont standout mid-distance runner and state qualifier Justin Lowe returned this season to help coach the Mounties squad, and it’s paid off — especially for Jones.
“Justin (Lowe) has come out and helped this year, and that’s helped a lot as far as the different workouts I’ve had compared to my freshman season,” Jones said. “He always tells me ‘run your 400. Everyone else is running their 400, don’t run their 400.’”
Just like in swimming, Jones plans to let go of the nerves and just run.
“When I’m at the state meet, I’m not nervous and there’s no pressure on me,” he said. “I have to run my race and run it even faster than the regional hopefully. It’s just going to help me that I have the fastest guys in the state right next to me.”
Jones was second at the sectional to Plainfield’s Nayyir Newash-Campbell and trailed the sophomore by just 17 1/100ths of a second at the regional. The goal is pass him and finish in the top three. Carmel’s Owen Schafer is the top seeded runner with a time of 48.01.
And unlike at the swim sate finals, Jones is eager to race in front of a crowd full of fans at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis on Friday evening.
“I just appreciate all the friends and family that are coming out to see me on Friday,” he said. “It really means a lot and is just making me more excited than I already am.”
