Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics
Cowgirl Soccer’s Jones Named Big 12 Sportsperson Of Year
(This article was generated by Oklahoma State Athletics Media Relations)
IRVING, Texas – Jaci Jones has been named the 2019-20 Big 12 Conference Sportsperson of the Year, becoming the first student-athlete in Oklahoma State history to earn this distinguished award.
The Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year awards began in 2000-01 to annually recognize student-athletes who displayed an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship, community service and academic achievement. A male and female award winner is chosen by the conference each year with the winners selected by a media panel.
A four-year standout at midfielder for the Cowgirl soccer team, Jones had an exemplary career in Stillwater on and off the field. An all-conference and all-region performer who helped carry OSU to a pair of Big 12 championships, Jones capped her career by leading the Cowgirls with 26 points on seven goals and 12 assists as a senior. Her 12 assists led the conference and ranked 10 nationally.
Jones served as an OSU team captain for three years and was a positive and passionate influence on teammates, coaches and fans. Through OSU soccer camps and games, she developed a special bond with the young daughter of a former Cowgirl soccer player who tragically lost her father. During the 2019 Big 12 Soccer Championship, the girl’s club team was playing at a youth tournament in Kansas City, and Jones organized with the OSU coaches to take the Cowgirl team to interact with the girl and her team and cheer them on during one of their tourney games, a special and memorable event for all involved.
An active participant in the community, Jones has volunteered for countless events and activities during her time at OSU, including Tim Tebow Foundation Night to Shine, Coaches vs. Cancer, Stillwater Soccer Club, Sangre Ridge Elementary School cleanup, Payne County United Way, Stillwater Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Feed the Children, Thanksgiving Food Drive, Cleats 4 Kids, Angel Tree and the N7 Youth Movement Field Day.
Jones also served as the OSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President, Vice President and Community Service Chair. She was the co-director of the Cowboy Choice Awards and was the Vice President of Love Through Loss.
Additionally, Jones served as a guest speaker for numerous organizations including Mustang Public Schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Celtic Youth Soccer Club, Newcastle Middle School, St. Louis Youth Soccer Club and the Apex Goalkeeper Institute.
In the classroom, Jones was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team performer. A nutritional sciences major with a focus on dietetics, she was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-West Region Second Team in 2019 and has also been named to the OSU President’s and Dean’s Honor Rolls multiple times while earning the OSU Academic Achievement Award four times.
Jones played in 82 games during her OSU career, including 72 as a starter, and racked up 18 goals and 24 assists. She ranks fourth on the Cowgirls’ all-time list in assists.