SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (Feb. 3, 2019) – Rutgers University-Camden women's cross country and track star Alexis Jones (Clayton, NJ/Gloucester County Institute of Technology) added another honor to her resume Sunday when she was cited by the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW) as Rutgers-Camden's Woman of the Year.
 
The NJAIAW honored all its Woman of the Year recipients during the organization's 27th Annual New Jersey Woman of the Year Awards Luncheon, held at Seton Hall University. The organization hosts the Woman of the Year Luncheon annually in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. As noted by the NJAIAW in its luncheon program, "Each Woman of the Year recipient has made significant contributions to her institution and community through athletic accomplishments, academic success, and community involvement."
 
The NJAIAW luncheon honors Women of the Year recipients from all two- and four-year colleges in the state.
 
A Childhood Studies major at Rutgers-Camden, Jones has defined the term "student-athlete" in her two years on campus since transferring from Felician College. She has been the top runner for the Rutgers-Camden women's cross country program for two years, finishing first on the Scarlet Raptors at all 12 of her races over that span. During her senior season last fall, Jones earned New Jersey Athletic Conference First Team honors, becoming the first woman to capture that honor at Rutgers-Camden since 2010. She also earned a pair of NJAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors (Sept. 10 and Sept. 24) and captured four honors as Rutgers-Camden's Raptor of the Week (Sept. 10, Sept. 24, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12).
 
Jones' accomplishments during the fall season included winning the 6K NJAIAW Championships (Sept. 22) out of a field of 117 runners and finishing sixth of 97 at the NJAC Championships (Oct. 27). She made her Rutgers-Camden debut as a junior at the NJAIAW Championships (April 23, 2017) and placed 49th in a 152-runner field. She finished that season earning MVP honors for the women's cross country program.
 
Jones also earned a letter last year as a member of the Scarlet Raptors' indoor and outdoor track programs, and is in her second season with the indoor team this winter. Last spring, Jones was an ECAC qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and this indoor season she set a program record in the 1,000-meter run (3:14.56) at the Wagner Seahawk Shootout on Dec. 7, 2018. Jones finished third out of a 12-runner field in that 1,000-meter run and her time earned her an ECAC qualifier in the event. She added another ECAC qualifier on Saturday with a 19:02.40 time at 5,000 meters (19:02.40), while finishing fifth in a field of 15 at the Frank Colden Invitational.
 
Jones' academic accomplishments are just as impressive. She has earned a berth on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll during all three of her semesters at Rutgers-Camden (2017 Fall, 2018 Spring and 2018 Fall). She was named NJAC Academic Honorable Mention for the 2017-18 scholastic year and earned a berth on the ECAC Academic Honor Roll for the 2018 Spring semester.
 
Jones started her collegiate career at Rowan College at Gloucester County, where she earned two letters apiece in cross country and track. She was named a NJCAA Division III All-American in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2016 and earned NJCAA Division III All-Region honors that fall with the cross country team. She ran Division II track at Felician College during the 2017 outdoor season, capturing All-CACC in the steeplechase.