Lauren Jones never had the chance to wear her No. 51 jersey at Matthew Knight Arena. But for one night only, No. 51 will have have its place on the mat.
Jones’s childhood friend and fellow acrobatics and tumbling student-athlete Sydnee Walton will wear Jones’ jersey during the team’s first home meet on Saturday in remembrance of Jones’ sudden death from meningococcemia earlier this week. After Saturday’s home-opening meet against Concordia-Wisconsin, the jersey will be retired in honor of Jones, according to Walton.
“Lauren was truly my idol,” Walton, a junior at Oregon, said. “She’s the type of person I want to be. It means a lot to have her with me.”
Along with Walton’s jersey tribute, the entire team will wear “LJ” patches on their jerseys and “Jones 51″ t-shirts with the words “Gone, but never forgotten” scripted in neon yellow – Jones’ favorite color.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to honor her tomorrow at our meet and for the rest of the season,” coach Chelsea Shaw said.
These small tributes are in honor of Jones, a person Shaw called “the most selfless and loving person I have ever met.”
After news hit of Jones’ passing, the team gathered for a candlelit dinner. Memories of Jones ruled the evening, according to Shaw. At Friday’s press conference, Shaw described memories of Jones. She recalled Jones waiting up at the door to Barnhart Hall for her teammates to get home safe. She’d ask, “How was your day?” and tell teammates “It’s great to see you” upon walking in.
Shaw joined Jones’ family in cleaning out Jones’ room earlier this week. Inside Jones’ room, Shaw saw examples of the person Jones was. One sign in particular defined the selflessness that Shaw remembers about Jones.
Shaw found a sign that Jones had made for Walton. Jones had planned on giving the sign out to fans during the first home meet.
“The thought that she would think of somebody else and plan that far in advance – something that nice for someone – just reaffirmed what kind of person she was,” Shaw said.
Before she passed, Jones would go up to Walton and tease her about the surprise sign.
“She didn’t want to tell me what it was, but she would come up to me and say, ‘I’m so excited for the meet and I can’t wait till you see it, but I have something really big planned,’” Walton said.
Saturday, when the team hits the mat, it’ll be competing with a heavy heart. Shaw said that the team is rallying together to do well in competition while honoring Jones.
“They’ve come together as a family,” Shaw said. “More importantly, they didn’t just lose a teammate, they lost a sister. That’s been the hardest part. I think they’re rallying together as a community and they’re going to dedicate tomorrow’s meet – as well as this entire season – to Lauren.”
Jonathan Hawthorne contributed reporting.
Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt