DEEP RUN — The future plans of Caroline Jones include nursing and playing volleyball.
She gets to do both at Lenoir Community College.
Jones, a four-sport athlete at South Lenoir, will play volleyball for the Lancers and will also pursue her dreams of becoming a nurse.
The senior who also plays basketball and runs cross country and track and field had a Division I offer for track, she said, but turned it down because playing volleyball in college is her dream.
So is studying to be a nurse.
“Volleyball is the main thing because I didn’t want it to be over yet,” said Jones during a signing ceremony on Wednesday.
“I’m blessed with this opportunity. I’m excited.”
Jones has started for the Lisa Smith-led varsity Blue Devils since her sophomore year and has always been an important piece to their success.
Smith sees LCC as a perfect fit for one of her leaders.
“She’s been a tremendous asset to the whole (athletic) program at South Lenoir,” Smith said. “I think it’s a great fit for her.”
Jones doesn’t just excel at one sport, she excels at them all.
She’s currently fourth on the basketball team in scoring at 7.1 points per game and leads it with 16 made 3-pointers. She’s also competed in the state 2A cross country and track and field championships as a distance runner.
In fact, her running led to an offer from UNC-Greensboro. But her heart was in volleyball.
“I didn’t want volleyball to be over yet,” said Jones, who said she hopes to qualify for the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN) Program and earn her nursing degree from East Carolina through LCC.
“I knew I didn’t love running as much as I did volleyball.”
First-year LCC volleyball coach Shelly Barnes said Wednesday that she is trying to change the face of LCC’s volleyball program and is doing so by bringing in strong local talent.
Barnes knows Jones has the talent. She also has the mindset and character that the Lancers need.
“Pretty much everything impresses me about Caroline. She’s a good team leader and, obviously at this school, she’s a tremendous athlete playing four sports — that’s unheard of in high school,” Barnes said.
“That tells me right there that she’s got the qualities that I’m looking for.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.