Greater Atlanta Christian star Jasmine Jones, a two-time Daily Post athlete of the year, earned another major honor Thursday when the rising senior was named the Gatorade Georgia Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, as well as high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track. Jones is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, which is announced later this month.

“I have coached for 36 years, the last 30 as the head coach at GAC, and I have never had an athlete close to Jasmine’s track ability,” GAC head coach Brad Kinser said. “But she’s also a quiet, humble young lady who’s much more than a runner or jumper. She dances, she loves the theater, she’s a brilliant student and she loves to talk about the last book she’s read. Jasmine is a great athlete and competitor, the stats to prove that, but she really is one of the finest people I’ve ever coached.”

Jones won the Class AAA state titles in the 200-meter dash, the 100 hurdles and the long jump, leading the Spartans to the team title. She also ran the lead leg for the winning 1,600 relay and the third leg for a 400 relay that also won state. Her personal-best 100 hurdles time of 13.33 seconds to capture gold at the Great Southwest Classic ranked No. 1 nationally among prep competitors in the event in 2019, and ranked No. 29 in U.S. girls prep history. Her winning leap in the long jump at state (20 feet, 2.25 inches) ranked No. 6 in the country, and her PR in the 200 (24.05) was No. 60. The high-point trophy-winner at the state meet now holds a trio of AAA state records (long jump, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and has won 11 state titles.

A gifted dancer who has performed at the highest levels of competitive dance on private and school teams, Jones also participates in musical theater, having played primary roles in “My Fair Lady” and “The Sound of Music.” She has participated in a service-mission trip to Nicaragua and donates her time as a tutor for lower-school students in addition to teaching dance and theater to young students.

Jones also has maintained a 4.40 GPA.

As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Jones also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.