by  Ashlyn Houctt

Zach Jones is making a name for himself both academically and athletically.  Zach is a senior at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and is a member of their state champion tennis and cross country teams.

Even though Zach devotes a tremendous amount of time to playing two sports at a highly competitive level, he still holds himself to extraordinarily high academic standards.  Zach has been named on the Principal’s List all four years of high school, has been inducted into the National Honor Society and Latin Honor Society, and last year was a Junior Marshal.  Perhaps his most impressive achievement is his class rank and his qualifying as a Morehead-Cain Scholarship Semi-Finalist.

Zach has been running and playing tennis for as long as he can remember.  He started running in kindergarten when his mom wanted to put his abundant amount of energy to good use, and he has been running ever since.  He started in tennis when his father introduced him and his sister to the sport.  He would hit the ball around with an old wooden racket.  Zach’s skills have grown immensely, and he now feels more confident in his abilities.  His hard work has helped him to win multiple state championships in both sports and become all-conference, all-region, all-state, and all-area in tennis.  He was also named all-area co-most valuable player in tennis.

What helps Zach on his journey to success is a piece of advice that he received from his biggest inspiration, his father, who taught him how to not take anything for granted and to work for the things that he wants.  Zach will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  While he plans to focus on his academics, he hopes to find a little time for his racquet and running shoes.