She runs on the track. She runs on the field.

It’s just not just track and field sophomore wing Crystal Jones competes in. It’s the sport where she’s a runner where she’s had the biggest effect this season. It’s a new sport – rugby.

“I just generally love sports,” Jones said.

She has played soccer since she was seven years old and played though her sophomore year in high school.

“I had to quit soccer because we couldn’t do two sports at once,” Jones said.

She was an outside hitter in volleyball, a guard in basketball and ran track throughout middle and high school.

Jones competed her freshman year at Eastern in indoor and outdoor track and field.

The most recent sport that Jones picked up was rugby.

“(Samantha Manto and Molly Clutter were) always talking about how fun it is and the team is just so much closer,” Jones said. “Even before I met Sam and Molly, I had seen a sign up saying they were having tryouts, but I knew it was too late.”

Jones made the decision to play rugby in the summer. She contacted head coach Frank Graziano expressing her interest.

She had never played before this season.

“I actually Googled it in the summer because I at least wanted to know the basic rules,” she said, “and what you could do with the ball because I didn’t want to go in there not knowing anything.”

Now, Jones is in her first year of rugby competition and she has only played in eight of the nine games.

Jones set a school record for most trys (eight) in the Panthers last game, a 103-0 win Saturday against Loyola in Lincoln Park.

“She exploded this weekend,” said Eastern head coach Frank Graziano. “She’s a tough kid. She works hard in the weight room. Pound for pound, she’s very, very strong. I was very impressed how strong she was. She can push some weights.”

Jones has scored 28 trys on the season and has scored 140 points. She shares the team lead with sophomore wing Manto.

Graziano said he was not seeking out Jones. When Jones did seek him out about the rugby team, Graziano said Jones should consult her track coaches before making the transition to rugby.

Jones is one of the smaller players on the team, listed at 5-foot-5-inches.

“She’s not very big,” Graziano said. “She has to overcome that mentally.”

The Pana native graduated from Pana High School in 2005.

She was a sectional champ in the triple jump her senior year and was a sectional champ in the 4 x 200 meter relay junior and senior year.

“She’s versatile,” said her former head coach Carol Schramm. “She trained very hard and she’s very coachable.”

Jones qualified for the state meet, which is held at O’Brien Stadium, her sophomore, junior and senior year with the 4 x 200 meter relay team and qualified for the triple jump her senior year.

Jones returned to O’Brien Stadium when she chose to attend Eastern and join the track team.

“It’s a nice track,” she said. “I hate tracks that have long-narrow straight-aways, then the curves aren’t as wide. I’d rather run a more wider track. It’s more rounder than the long ways.”

Her decision to come to Eastern was based in part on following her sister, Denise.

Denise graduated from Eastern in 2006. She ran track and field and now coaches cross country at Cowden-Herrick High School.

“I really enjoyed having (Denise) on the track team,” Jones said. “I had never been on a team with her in high school because of the age difference. She was a real inspiration for me. I have always followed in her footsteps and all the sports she’s done.”

Crystal consulted her sister on the javelin because they both competed in the event.

“We talked about how we each did, how we each could’ve done better and what we can work on for next time,” she said.

The first time Jones ever threw the javelin competitively was when she came to Eastern last year.

“I had thrown it before,” Jones said. “I sort of understood the basics of it.”

She said her sister had bought one for her to practice with.

At Eastern, Jones has also competed in the jumps, sprinting events, pole vault and relays.

“As long as I was doing something and I felt I was helping the team out, I was perfectly fine by it,” the two-sport athlete said. “It took me a while to figure out the time managing.”

While she was competing in track in January, Jones lost her father, Ronald, to a long time battle with diabetes.

“He was always helping me,” she said. “He always made sure education was a big thing in our lives plus athletics.”

Ronald played the clarinet, was in the national band, in the Army Reserves and a baseball pitcher.

“He taught me and my sister how to pitch,” Jones said. “I thought about the softball team, but I only played one year of fast pitch.”

He was in the hospital from November 2005 to January 2006.

“It was a gradual process to the end, so I kind of prepared myself,” Crystal said. “Eventually I knew this day would come because he was sick a lot.”

“In some ways track was a bit an outlet for her,” said women’s track coach Mary Wallace. “It gave her something to focus on.”

Sports is a big part of Jones’ life and she often shared that experience with her father.

“When we would videotape (the games), they would sit on the bed with him, and watch them,” said Jones’ mother, Cathy. “She didn’t care if she was on the bench. She’s spunky and hard-working.”

Jones wants to graduate with a degree in exercise science.

Eric Hiltner/The Daily Eastern News Freshman wing Crystal Jones scored eight tries against Loyola Univesity, setting a school record during the 103-0 win in Chicago. Jones is tied with sophomore wing Samantha Manto for most points (140) and trys (28).

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