FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University Director of Athletics Troy Austin has announced the appointment of Alpha Jones as Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities and Maintenance. In this role, Jones will oversee all of the school's athletic facilities and manage their upkeep. He comes to Longwood following 11 years as the head groundskeeper for the Durham Athletic Park.

"I am pleased to welcome someone with Alpha's credentials to the Longwood family," said Austin. "He has an amazing eye for detail and a strong vision for how he would like to maintain and advance all facilities. His past experiences with the Durham Bulls and with various other athletic facilities will prove beneficial to the Lancers."

During his time in Durham, Jones administered the facility budget, trained new employees, and maintained all aspects of the turf, equipment and assets. Additionally, he provided on-site management, actively coordinated each event and served as liaison for all baseball and special event leases for the Durham Athletic Park.

"I am truly blessed to have this opportunity at Longwood University," said Jones. "The future of the athletics department looks very bright and I'm excited to be a part of the Longwood family! I intend for the athletic facilities to play an integral role in the success of our teams through facility safety, playability and aesthetics."

Prior to working at the Durham Athletic Park, Jones was the crew leader at the Wake-Med Soccer Park for the Town of Cary, North Carolina from 2006-08. In this role, he helped maintained the home field of the Carolina Railhawks (North American Soccer League) and the site of the NCAA Women's College Cup. Previously, Jones was the head groundskeeper at Durham Academy from 2001-06 and the owner/operator at J & D Landscaping from 1989-01.

Jones, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earned an associate degree in arts from Durham Technical Community College in 2003 prior to graduating suma cum laude with his bachelor's degree in political science from North Carolina Central University in 2005. Jones and his wife Beth have three children, two daughters Jasmine (24) and Justine (15), and a son Jordan (21).