Cornell University Athletics

Considered one of Cornell’s greatest runners, Jones placed fourth in the 1500 at the 1912 Olympic Games. He was the first American ever to hold a world record in the mile, which he clocked at 4:14.4 for a first-place finish at the 1913 outdoor IC4A championships.  The record stood as the IC4A mark until 1938.  He also won the IC4A 880-yard championship in 1911 and 1912.  In 1911, he set an unofficial world record and captured his first IC4A mile title with a time of 4:15.4.  He also won three straight individual IC4A cross country titles (1910, 1911 and 1912), helping Cornell to the team title in both 1910 and ’11.  He ran a leg of the four-mile relay that set the world’s indoor four-mile record of 17:43.4 in Buffalo in 1912, and the outdoor record of 17:55 at the 1912 Penn Relays.