Dani Jones On Turning Pro After One Of The Most Accomplished NCAA Careers at Colorado

“I honestly never expected entering CU to leave the way I did. I know that Colorado gave me everything I needed to succeed. Mark and Heather gave me every opportunity and every chance in the world to be great. Because of that, I’ll always root for them and I’ll always root for the Buffs. I’m really just grateful for the experience I had and I know there will be more athletes like me.”

Dani Jones joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast after announcing that she has decided to forego her remaining NCAA eligibility to turn professional and sign with Hawi Management. The four-time NCAA champion out of the University of Colorado said she will be joining Joe Bosshard’s Boulder-based training group that includes Emma Coburn, Aisha Praught, Dominique Scott and Cory McGee.

We run through the decision-making process that took place after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped away her attempt at an 800/mile double at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and then her last remaining outdoor season. This outdoor season was going to be focused on winning the NCAA 1,500 meter title, hitting the Olympic standard in the same event and making a push at the U.S. Olympic trials. With the Summer Games and trials postponed a year, Jones is among the athletes who could reap the benefit of one more year of training.

Jones takes us through the biggest races of her Colorado career including the 2017 NCAA indoor titles in the DMR and 3,000m, the 2018 NCAA cross country individual and team title and last year’s NCAA 5,000m outdoor title, which came shortly after her father’s passing. 

We also touch on the influence of coaches Mark and Heather Burroughs in her development, training with Jenny Simpson and where she stands among the greats that have come out of Colorado. (Plus, her Mt. Rushmore of Colorado Buffaloes)

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