Troy University Athletics
Johnson's Journal - Jones Thriving On and Off the Track
5/7/2026 11:30:00 AM | Track & Field
By: Jon Johnson
Troy women's track & field hurdler Faith Jones doesn't have to look far to find support.
Her fiancé, Jared Jones III, is on the Trojans' men's track & field team as a sprinter.
"We both come from families who were very encouraging, so we still have someone out there watching our races and cheering us on," Faith said of each other's support.Â
"In practices, I get to watch him and I'm just like, 'You need to push harder this way.' So, it's like we're able to critique each other because we want us to grow in this sport that we're doing and thrive in everything that we're doing."
The interaction concerning the sport extends off the track.
"When it comes to recovery and all that stuff, we'll say, 'Let's massage this out. I know it's going to hurt, but you need to do it,'" Faith said. "When we are actively running, or when we're recovering, we'll watch film and say, 'Yeah, you just lagged a little bit, or this is perfect.' We know that someone has our back to the fullest. When we can't visibly see ourselves, someone else sees it. It's honestly perfect."
Both are natives of Sacramento, Calif., but went to different high schools and didn't meet until they were in college - Faith at Cal State Fullerton and Jared at UC Davis in Northern California.
"We've actually known each other for about five years now," Faith said. "I met him my sophomore year of college and his freshman year. He was going to a totally different college, but we met through a mutual friend and from there started talking.Â
"He asked me out when I was going back home for Thanksgiving. That was the first time I met him in person. From there, the Lord took over."
Eventually, Jared would transfer to Cal State and the two would be there together for one season before Faith decided to enter the transfer portal, landing at Troy two years ago as a junior.
They would reunite as teammates in Troy before this season.
"Last summer, he flew me out there (California) because he had decided to transfer to Troy and he wanted me to help him move here," Faith said. "I was out there in Fullerton and the first day I saw him, he proposed to me that night. It was so perfect. The Lord was definitely working."
With both having the same last name, it's often confusing for others when the two are together.
"When we first came out here, we had to get a rental car and the lady had called me Mrs. Jones because she had my ID and his ID," Faith said. "Then she said, 'Are you guys married?' I said, 'We're engaged.' And she said, 'Wait, y'all already have the same last name?'Â
"It's perfect though. I don't have to change my last name. For the longest, I was like, 'Faith Jones is such a great name. I don't know if I really want to change that last name.' Now I don't have to."
A record-breaking year
Faith set the Troy women's record for the 60-meter hurdles Feb. 24 of this year with a 8.32 time in the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship meet in Birmingham. It eclipsed the mark she set earlier that month at 8.48 at the UAB Invite, breaking the 18-year-old record of 8.51 set by Monique Johnson in 2007.
"For the longest, I did not like indoor (track) because it was like a whole different sport," Faith said. "Last year was definitely a rocky road when it came to running indoors, but I ended up getting the hang of it.Â
"I was right there with the PR (personal record) and school record, so I was like, 'OK, we've got next year.' So coming into this year, I was like, 'I'm going to get it.' The day that I got it, I knew I had run a fast time. I was like, 'Lord, we just did this.'"
She hardly remembers the moments of the race in which she set the current record.
"My mind truly shut off and the next thing I knew I was across the finish line and was screaming and yelling because I had just won and broke the record again," Faith said.
Moving across country
Troy wasn't on her radar once entering the transfer portal after her sophomore year at Cal State Fullerton, but it didn't take long for her to become interested when a former graduate assistant coach of the Trojans reached out.
"I had a ton of schools talking to me, but Troy reached out and I got on the phone with Coach (David) Alberdi, and he knew how to talk to a person, for sure," Jones said. "You have a lot of coaches who talk and try to sell a school or overplay what you might be getting into, but I wanted someone who was real and talked to me like I was a person, and he definitely did.Â
"There were times we weren't even talking about school or track, we were talking about hiking or something. I was like, 'Wow, that's amazing.' When it came down to choosing, I had another college I was deciding on and they had already offered.Â
"I was like, 'Troy just seems it.' I definitely prayed about my decision and I was like, 'Yeah, this is where I want to be.' I'm glad I chose here because it's been amazing."
It was the change she was searching for.Â
"Even though I grew up in the city, I was like, 'I don't want to live in the city,' and yet I went to college smack dab in the middle of basically LA," she said of her initial college choice. "I was like, 'I hate how crowded it is and the people are arrogant.' So, when I was choosing a new place, I knew if it was a small town I wasn't going to mind.Â
"Coming here was a slower pace and I was able to relax. I didn't know Southern hospitality was a real thing until I came down here. I was like, 'Wow, you guys are nice. Go to California for a month and you'll see how mean people are.' I've gotten to travel and do so many things that I wouldn't have gotten to do in California. It's been so amazing."
Putting the fear behind
Faith began running the hurdles while in middle school and excelled at it during her high school years.
But one thing all hurdlers have to conquer is the fear of falling when clipping a bar on the jump.
"I've fallen plenty of times at practice, but in a race I've only fallen one time, and that was last year at a race when we were in Gainesville, Florida," she said. "I was going to get over the last hurdle and I just clipped it with my foot … clipped it hard … and totally fell.Â
"One thing a lot of hurdlers have to come to terms with is falling is part of hurdling. I say it all the time, 'Welcome to hurdling 101. You're going to fall at some point.'Â
"Some hurdlers have one big fall that makes them realize, 'OK, I'm not scared of hurdling anymore - I've fallen.' I think last year when I fell at my race, I was like, 'I'm not scared of falling anymore … I'm good.'Â
"Like this last race in Nashville (Music City Challenge, I clipped the last three hurdles, but I kept going. It didn't throw me off to the point where I couldn't finish my race."
Keeping the faith
Right in tune with her first name, faith is so important in her life.
"It's the number one thing," she said. "I grew up in a Christian household and both of my parents are pastors. I got my faith for myself very young and it just started to grow. Over the last couple of years being by myself, that's what I relied on. It's what honestly drives me.Â
"I see God in everything. I put Him at the front of my life, because I know everything I'm doing is truly meant to glorify His name. With Christ, life is just so much better. It might not be any easier, but it's definitely worth having a purpose to put everything towards."
Faith doesn't hide her Christian beliefs, but instead wants it to be evident in everyone she comes in contact with.Â
"If anybody can know one thing about me, I'd love them to know that Faith loved Jesus and she talked about it a lot of the time," she said. I won't preach at you, but I will let you know I'm a believer and it's certainly very important to me."
Looking to the future
The last college meet is coming up for Faith and her teammates at the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships in Mobile (May 14-16).
"I honestly just want to be able to leave it all on the track," Faith said when asked about her goals for the meet. "If it's the Lord's will for me to win, then thank you, Jesus. But I just want to see so many people find a love of track again and just enjoy what they're doing."
Faith is at peace with stepping away from the sport.
"I'm actually so excited for the end," Faith said. "Even though I've enjoyed track and I've enjoyed Troy, I know that I've done and gotten everything I've needed out of Troy and out of track.
"Even though it might be a bittersweet moment, it's more sweet for me because now I get to go into the world and do what I've been doing on the track - like proclaiming His name; showing my hard work."Â
She's scheduled to graduate in July, but she won't be leaving Troy anytime soon. With Jared still having another year of track eligibility, Faith will remain in town with him.
"I'm going to be here taking a gap year … will be working and be around to see the team," Faith said. "I don't have to rush anything."
It will be one of the few times the Troy speedster will actually slow down a bit.
