Getting To Know Allie Jones

Track & Field | February 28, 2023

Graduate transfer Allie Jones comes to USC from Stanford where she is the school’s heptathlon record holder.  Last season, Jones won the Pac-12 heptathlon title, while placing fourth at the NCAA Championships in the event.  Jones is just as talented in the classroom where she is working on getting a masters in Health Care Administration.
 
CG: What initially brought you to USC?
 
AJ: Well, for me, when I was trying to find my grad program and where I was going to go, I knew I wanted to get an MHA, which is a Master of Healthcare Administration. With that, it kind of cuts down the schools already by a lot because there’s only like 25–30 in the country. When you cross reference good track schools, it’s a pretty short list. USC brought the best of both worlds: good school and great track. That’s what I wanted out of it.
 
CG: Did Stanford offer an MHA?
 
AJ: They had a similar one. They didn’t have an MHA program. It was like MBA, but Stanford MBA program is very hard to get into, and athletics doesn’t really help with getting into grad school.
 
CG: When you cross referenced that list of schools with an MHA and track programs, was it mainly west coast? Were you trying to stay out here?
 
AJ: Actually, no. I was really open to going wherever I ended up deciding between here and [University of] Florida. I was looking at [University of Washington], USC, Penn State, Columbia. 
 
CG: What were the determining factors that made you pick USC?
 
AJ: I really liked the coaches here. That is what drew me in. Being close to home; I’m from Santa Barbara, and so it’s a real easy hour and a half drive up north instead of across the country with Florida. I think it was a little bit of a leap of faith. I didn’t take a visit here, or anywhere really. So, I was hoping for the best and it has turned out good.
 
CG: When did you start reaching out to USC and expressing interest?
 
AJ: I knew pretty early on that I was going to transfer. I spoke with the Stanford coaches, kind of in December of my senior year, and I entered the portal that fall. After that, the portal is like this crazy black box that you don’t really know what it is. But then, you can have different [preferences], say like, “Oh, I want coaches to reach out to me,” or “I only want to reach out to coaches.” So,…