Steve Jones is in his 18th year as the jumps coach at Grand Valley State University at the start of the 2025-26 academic year. Before GVSU, Jones spent three seasons at Minnesota State University-Mankato where he worked with jumpers, multi-event athletes, throwers, and sprinters.
While at MSU, Jones' athletes set several school records in addition to winning eight All-American accolades. Jones assisted in coaching the 2007 USATFUS National High Jump Champion Jim Dilling (2.30m), who also won four Division II National high jump championships.
In his time at GVSU, Jones has coached 41 NCAA Division II All-Americans and has had 48 student-athletes qualifications for the NCAA Division II Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Additionally, 17 school records have been set with Jones as coach.
Jones coached eight student athletes to the NCAA DII Championships during the indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor season saw five of his athletes take the podium; Eli Kosiba won his first national title in high jump alongside teammates Javion Harrison (second), Jonathan Rankins-James (third) and Marcus Gelpi (sixth). Kaylee Diamond won her first Division II title in high jump with a personal-best mark of 1.81m. Alaina Diaz shined during the outdoor season, shattering the school record and taking the title of National Runner-Up in long jump. During the 2025 outdoor season, Harrison earned the championship title in high jump while Rankins-James was named National Runner-Up in the event.
At the first meet of the 2024-25 indoor season, both Eli Kosiba and Kaylee Diamond recorded records. Kosiba cleared an impressive 2.30m (7-6) at the Holiday Open to tie the NCAA DII record set in 2007 by Jim Dilling (who Jones also coached). Diamond tied the GVSU women's program record with a mark of 1.76m (5-9.25) - a mark that had not been touched since 1993. Diamond would later shatter this record, and the conference indoor meet record, with a 1.81m (5-11.75) mark at the GLIAC Indoor Championships.
In the 2023-24 season, Jones coached the nationally ranked high jump "trio" through an impressive season. Jaivon Harrison swept the men's high jump at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II National Championships, earned two individual titles in his first year at Grand Valley State. Jonathan Rankins-James took runner-up in the indoor meet and finished third in the outdoor season, while Eli Kosiba earned sixth both indoor and outdoor. All three high jumpers hold the indoor Grand Valley State school record of 2.23m, while Eli Kosiba holds the outdoor record at 2.28m.
Additionally, Jones' current high jump "trio" qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Jones earned the Men's Assistant Coach of the Year honors in the Midwest Region for the 2023 - 2025 indoor seasons, as well as the 2024 outdoor season.
Jones has coached three athletes to compete at the 2023 USATF Outdoor National Championships, Eli Kosiba (4th) and Jonathan Rankins-James (12th) in the high jump and Luke Jelderks (8th) in the long jump.
At Minnesota State, Jones coached two NCAA Division II champions, seven All-Americans and 13 NCAA qualifiers.
At Minnesota State University, Jones' other duties included teaching in the human performance department, meet administration, monitoring the academic success of student-athletes, as well as assisting in hosting the 2008 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. In his time there, Jones also received his masters degree in sport administration.
Jones graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003 with a degree in consumer science. A two-time captain and NCAA Division I national participant in the high jump, Jones worked for Athletes in Action upon his graduation. Part of his time was spent in Spain where he volunteer coached for two track teams and participated in mission work. When stateside, Jones coached high school track in Wisconsin working with the jumpers, sprinters, and vaulters.
