Stars and Stripes has selected an Athlete of the Year for each of the respective fall sports played across each of DODEA’s Europe and Pacific theaters. Check out our site this week to read profiles for golf (Tuesday), tennis (Wednesday), cross country (Thursday), volleyball (Friday) and football (Saturday).

Wiesbaden’s Luke Jones started his long-distance career while living in the German town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, host of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games.

Nearby is the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany nestled along the border with Austria.

And just like the Zugspitze rises above the country, Jones consistently finds himself standing on the top of the podium in DODEA-Europe events.

The Warrior junior won his second consecutive individual crown last month at the DODEA European cross country championships at Rolling Hillf Golf Course in Baumholder, Germany, crossing the finish line in 16 minutes, 08.56 seconds. He also led the Warriors to the team championship.

He set a course record in the process, which he seems to do at every meet he runs. The success doesn’t surprise the 2023 Stars and Stripes boys cross country Athlete of the Year.

“I knew I wanted to be the best that I possibly could,” Jones said. “So, I took (running) pretty seriously, even in middle school. I figured someday I would bear the fruits of all that work, and I guess this is it starting to.”

That hard work has led to him racking up trophy after trophy, winning four European titles over a 13-month stretch. The Warrior junior won the individual cross title in 2022, and he completed his sophomore year by winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races at the track and field championships in May.

This fall saw Jones break the 16-minute mark, posting a 15:53 at his home course on Oct. 7. The course is mostly uphill, making the feat even more impressive.

Jones feels most at home on courses with hills, especially after his time at Garmisch Elementary Middle School. He’s noticed his strength even shows against the local competition when he runs with TV Waldstrasse Wiesbaden, a member of the Hessischer Leichtathletik-Verband.

“A hilly course for them would be a flat course for us,” Jones said. “They don’t charge up the hills as much. American cross country runners, we go up pretty hard up the hills. Garmisch definitely helped with that.”

The son of Hugh and Monique Jones aspires to run in college, and he has plenty of interest from schools already.

Jones said he wants to post a 15:20 or so at a 5-kilometer race on Dec. 10 in hopes it will raise his profile with the best Division I programs in the States. To do so, Jones continues running around 50 miles per week.

“I’ve reached out to a handful of Division I schools, but I’m waiting to talk to the top Division I schools this winter because hopefully I can get a pretty fast 5K time this December,” Jones said. “That should get me some good attention.”

In the spring, Jones will try to hit 60 miles per week as track season rolls around. He said he still will focus on 5Ks, as the German track season includes what he deems his strongest event.

When DODEA track starts, though, it will be time to focus on defending his mile and two-mile titles. Jones already owns the European record in the 3,200, and after his cross country high mark in October, he’s just missing the 1,600 record.

He’s not focusing on that, though. Instead, he’s looking to keep up with his upward trajectory.

“I just want to run a time that I think is good for me,” Jones said. “If I break the record, that’s great.”