Dedicated and motivated there are probably no two words that could describe senior Jon Pillow any better. He applies them to everything he does, and this year it has shown.

Pillow has improved greatly from last year, when he finished anywhere from third to sixth place during meets as a runner for the UA men's cross country team. As a senior, he has become the solid No. 2 runner this season.

"There is definitely that expectation that you have been here for three solid years and that this is your last chance to lay it all on the line," Pillow said.

Pillow has shown he wants to make the most of his final season as a cross country runner. He spent his summer running 70 to 80 miles a week in Michigan, the most summer training he had ever done.

"I am really motivated to do well this year," Pillow said. "This is my senior year and I want to give it my all."

Pillow also points to a combination of a better mental focus and having good workouts as reasons for his improvement.

Besides bringing his speed to the squad, Pillow has also been a leader for the inexperienced team. His goals are to help everyone as much as he can and stress the importance of teamwork.

"Unity is a really important quality for a team," Pillow said. "I think that teams run a lot better when they are motivated to work together to achieve goals."

Pillow has tried to set an example for the rest of the team.

"I try to keep everyone inspired to work hard and set goals that we can accomplish and work together towards," he said.

Pillow has some goals of his own. He would like to finish in the top 10 at the Pacific 10 Conference championships. He also wants to help the team make it to nationals and have it place in the top 10.

"We have a good work ethic on this team," he said.

One need look no further then Pillow when it comes to work ethic.

"I have never had a harder worker then Jon," UA head coach Dave Murray said. "Everything he does he is dedicated to."

His hard work goes past the race courses and into the classroom. During his sophomore year he was selected to the Pac-10's All-Academic first team, earning a 4.0 grade-point average in mathematics and philosophy. In his junior year, he was a GTE/CoSIDA Ac ademic All-District VIII selection after recording another 4.0. In high school, he was honored as a Flinn Scholar, Presidential Scholar and a National Merit Scholar.

Born in Tucson, Pillow graduated from Horizon High School in Scottsdale. He was a four-time letterman in track and a three-time letterman in cross country. During his cross country career there, he was an all-state selection twice, a two-time regional cha mp, a three-time most valuable player and he finished fourth at the Arizona state cross country meet.

Although he runs like he is on a full-ride scholarship, Pillow actually made the team as a walk-on and has never received any financial support from the school for his running.

"He has a real love for the sport," Murray said.

Pillow's life off the course will likely be as successful as his life on it. He has applied for the Rhodes Scholarship to study in England for two years. He has also applied for a scholarship to study literature in Morocco for a year. If those don't happe n, he may go to graduate school for a degree in mathematics.

Despite these plans, Pillow will still keep running.

"I will always be a runner," he said. "It's a part of who I am. It's a part of my identity."

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