University of Illinois Springfield men's cross country runner Blake Jones became the first Prairie Star to win a GLVC Cross Country Individual Championship on Saturday in Elsah, Ill. He finished the 8,000m race in a time of 24:41.30, and won by over ten seconds.
 
Jones, who was also named the GLVC Runner of the Year, ran in the lead pack throughout the race, and slowly saw that lead pack shrink until he was the only one left. Halfway through the race, Jones and three others were together, and eight others were within five seconds. Over the next 2,000m, Jones remained in the lead, with two others within a second and one other runner within five seconds.

After the 6,000m mark, Jones separated himself from the pack. He ran the next 1,000m in just over three minutes, and grabbed a seven-second lead. Jones then completed the final split in 2:54.24, his fastest 1,000m-split during the afternoon. None of his competitors were able to keep up with that pace, and he crossed the finish line 10 seconds before the runner-up athlete.
 
Jones' final time was the fastest in UIS history during a GLVC Championship event. He won his third all-GLVC honor, and has improved each year at the conference race, going from 12th in 2018, to sixth in 2019, to first this year.