MANSFIELD, Ohio — Khalil Ali was asked to take a trip down memory lane Friday afternoon, but Mansfield Senior’s veteran track coach still couldn’t come up with a firm answer.
When was the last time the Tygers had a middle distance runner like Keshawn Jones?
“You might have to go back to the 1980s,” Ali said after Jones swept the 800 and 1,600 meter runs at the second Madison Invitational. “It’s been a while.”
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Jones won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 41.71 seconds. He came back about an hour later to beat a solid field in the 800, crossing the finish line in 2:04.27.
“Like a lot of our kids, he thought basketball was his main sport,” Ali said. “The basketball coaches came to me and said, ‘We’ve got a great kid and we think he would be a good fit for you.’ ”
A senior, Jones qualified for the Division I regional meet in the 800 last spring. He added the 1,600 this spring.
“Mansfield Senior isn’t really known for its middle distance program, but I’m trying to change that,” Jones said. “The 800 is my main event, but I only started running that last year. Before that I focused on the 400.”
The longer distance seems to suit Jones. Unofficially, he ran a negative split in the 800 at Madison. His second lap was faster than his first.
“Considering the conditions, I thought he ran very well,” Ali said. “He’s one of three or four of our guys who has asthma, which makes what he is doing even more impressive.”
Jones ran cross country for the first time last fall. He was Senior High’s No. 1 runner before getting injured at the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet, missing out on the postseason. He ran both the 800 and 1,600 during the recently concluded indoor season, narrowly missing out on an invitation to the indoor state meet in the 800.
“I was off by a couple of seconds,” Jones said.
The close call in the indoor 800 has served as motivation for the outdoor season. Jones would like to improve on last year’s 13th-place finish at the regional meet.
“I want to get to state this year. I’ll do whatever it takes,” said Jones, whose 800 time in adverse weather conditions Friday was just two seconds off his regional time last spring and four seconds off his PR. “I feel like I am right where I need to be. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
