Senior Reflections: Claire Jones
Mar 14 | Women's Gymnastics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers gymnastics is set to host the Big Ten Championships Saturday at the RAC. It will be the final home meet for the Scarlet Knights' three-member senior class, who celebrated Senior Day at the Livingston Gym on Feb. 11. This will be the first time RU hosts a conference meet since 2006. Click here for more information.
A native of Gaffney, South Carolina, Claire Jones has competed in 41 meets over the last four years. She has scored a 9.900 on vault, uneven bars and balance beam during her career and most recently took second place with a 9.875 vault in the Big Five meet at Iowa. Jones will graduate with a psychology degree.
"Claire has been one of our highest scorers over the last four years, consistently putting up really big scores on floor and beam," head coach Louis Levine said. "She also has one of the highest scores in school history with a 9.900 vault. I think she's just a really powerful gymnast. And beam you think of as grace, but she just powers through."
Here is Jones in her own words on her career...
On starting gymnastics: "I was four, and because I jumped off the top stair from my porch area and I hit the middle of my nose. I have a scar from it, actually. And then my parents were like, 'alright, we need to put this girl in something that has walls and mats and that type of stuff.' So I started gymnastics when I was four."
On college gymnastics: "I think it was always the goal since I was little. I visited a few schools and then I came on my official at Rutgers and I just really liked the team and I liked the coaching staff. It just seemed like a good fit for me."
On competing at Rutgers: "When I came my goal was to get 9.9s on the three events I competed. This year, just a couple weeks ago, I completed that on beam and that took four years. I think just all-in-all looking back, there's nothing I really regret. I think I did everything I came here to do."
On the Rutgers experience: "Unforgettable. It has been the best four years of my life and I've really met some awesome people and got to experience some crazy stuff."
On the future: "I'm hoping to get a job with sports organization. So either Hoboken, New Jersey or Charlotte, North Carolina, wherever I get a job at, we'll see."
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Players Mentioned
