St. Joe’s Prep’s Elijah Jones sets 60-meter dash school record, breaking D’Andre Swift’s time

At the start of his freshman year, Elijah Jones walked past a board hanging in the hallway of St. Joe’s Prep that listed the school’s track and field record-holders. He told his dad that one day his name would be on that wall.

Now the senior, who’s heading to Cincinnati for football, can say he fulfilled that sentiment.

In his first-year competing in indoor track, Jones set a school record in the 60-meter dash at the Meet of Champions on Feb. 18. His time of 7.02 seconds qualified him for states, which will be held Sunday at Penn State, and surpassed the previous mark set by Eagles running back D’Andre Swift (7.06) in 2016.

“Having your name just stapled throughout the entire school, knowing it’s always here, seems special to me,” said Jones, a 5-foot-11 receiver who helped the Hawks secure a second consecutive 6A football state championship this year. “It’s something that I have never done before, so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to do that.”

Jones wasn’t intending on breaking a record that day. His focus was on qualifying for states. After the starter’s pistol went off, Jones said he “felt fast” coming down the lane. Even track and field coach Curtis Cockenberg, who’s been with the program since 1975, noticed Jones’ solid form from the start.

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Afterward, Cockenberg went to the scoring table to see Jones’ time. He was stunned.

“I knew Elijah was fast, but I didn’t know he was that fast,” Cockenberg said. “He’s actually improving. He ran 7.16 at the Catholic League championship the week before, then he ran 7.02, which is pretty crazy to improve like that in a race that short.”

The day after the meet, Jones received a text from his coach saying, “Did you know that you broke the school record?”

“I was completely shocked,” said Jones, who also competes in the 100 meters and 4x100 relay in outdoor track. “At first I thought he was joking. But then he sent me the times, and all the other times that I’ve been running previously, to show how fast I ran, which was amazing.”

Jones has drastically improved his times since starting indoor. He ran a 7.24 at the start of the season and continued to chip it down.

Cockenberg believes being a month into training has helped Jones reach a different gear on the track. He’s seen that progression with most of the other football players that participate in the sport, including Swift.

“There’s a joke among the football players that they run a certain way. It’s our job to try to change the way they run to make them more efficient, and also faster,” Cockenberg said. “I would say 99% of the football players who run track with us always come back because they see what it does for them.”

Swift competed in outdoor track all four years at the Prep. Cockenberg recalled meeting the future Eagles running back as a freshman. He was already talented as a runner, but Cockenberg said he took the time to learn how to be better.

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“When he got in shape, he had the ability to hit a gear not all sprinters could do,” Cockenberg said. “I remember he was the anchor as a freshman [in the 4x100 relay] at districts. He ran an incredible leg to get us to states.”

Swift set the school record in the 60-meter dash as a junior at states, but just missed getting a medal, finishing ninth overall when the top eight place.

Watching Swift’s trajectory has been inspirational for Jones, who looks to follow a similar path.

“It just gives me confidence that I’m heading in the right direction,” Jones said. “Hopefully I can end up in the same place that he ended up and it just makes me want to go even harder, push myself even more. Maybe one day I can say that I can beat him in a race legitimately, one-on-one.”

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While Jones uses track to stay in shape and prepare for football at the next level, he’s looking forward to the new experience of competing at states for indoor track and hopes to place.

His coach has also given Jones a few goals to aspire to.

“I think he’s going to be able to go faster,” Cockenberg said. “We would love for him to get under seven and get a medal stamp, finish in the top eight. Both of those goals are attainable.”