Newsday Athlete of the Week is Malverne's Nicea Jones
Nicea Jones of Malverne has the second-fastest time in the nation in 400 meters this year. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
After trailing for the first 370 meters of a 400-meters race at The Armory, Jan. 4, Malverne senior Nicea Jones chased down Cohren Corbin, a senior from Maryland, to win. Jones’ finish of 54.87 seconds marked a personal best for the event’s reigning state champion. However, it was what Jones heard over the loudspeakers after the race that makes her Newsday’s Athlete of the Week. Jones heard that her time was the second-fastest in the country this year.
“I was so shocked when they said that,” Jones said. “It’s a little nervewracking. I’m just trying not to doubt myself. I’m trying not to think, ‘What if,’ I’m just trying to keep getting the job done.”
Jones is not stressing about attaining the nation’s top time in the 400. In fact, not stressing about things is what has helped Jones blossom into the star she became last year.
Jones joined Malverne’s girls varsity track and field team during the winter season as a promising freshman. Jones’ speed caught the attention and praise of many, which raised the expectations of her, but it also raised her anxiety. Out of fear of disappointing them, Jones left the team at the start of the spring 2022 season. She sat out the winter season in her sophomore year for the same reason before rejoining the team that spring.
Last year was the first time she ran both indoor and outdoor track in the same year. She had a new outlook on the sport that led to her commitment.
“I kept taking the sport seriously but stopped thinking of it as a life or death situation,” Jones said. “I try not to look at it as pressure. I look at it as, ‘You’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, just keep it going.’ ”
As the seventh child in an athletic family of 14, Jones has a strong support group. It was her father, a former football player, and her mother, a former track runner, who helped calm her nerves.
“My mom was going to be really good, but she never really took it seriously,” Jones said. “(She tells me stories) all the time. Once I became a state champion, both my parents told me to take it even more seriously. They would say, ‘Nicea, you’ve got to stop playing around, lock in and keep going.’ ”
After seeing what she has accomplished since gaining confidence, Jones knows what her true biggest career milestone is.
“Coping with my anxiety," she said, "is probably my proudest accomplishment of my career.”
