One of the swimmers said they got caught up in a strong current and were pulled out to sea, according to a University of Kentucky press release. Two of the students were able to make it back to shore, but Jones was not.<doc-sep>A student from the University of Kentucky who was missing for two days was found dead on Monday after she drowned during a midnight swim in Israel. TeNiya Jones, 19, was found by rescuers after her body washed up in Tel Aviv on Monday, The Times of Israel reported. Jones's family confirmed her death to the Fort-Myers News-Press. Jones, a Florida native, was a sophomore at the University of Kentucky and was involved in a seven-week study abroad program in Jordan, Israel, according to the Fort-Myers News-Press. The 19-year-old went missing on Saturday night after a midnight swim in the Mediterranean Sea. The University of Kentucky said in a statement that Jones was part of a seven student group and that she went swimming with two other students when she was pulled in by the ocean's currents, according to The Times of Israel. Only her friends were able to make it back to shore. Jones's mother, Tosha Thomas-Mora, told the Fort-Myers News-Press that her daughter was a "decent swimmer" but typically enjoyed walking along the shore or wading at the shore of the water. "She's a decent swimmer," Thomas-Mora told the publication. "The furthest I've known her to go is to stand and wade at the shore of the water and take pictures." In a statement to Newsweek, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto sent his condolences to Jones's family and friends and said the school was working to provide support for those who are affected by Jones's sudden death. "Our thoughts and prayers are with TeNiya, her family and the students and others impacted," Capilouto said. "We are in continual contact with TeNiya's family, officials in Israel, officials from the State Department and our Congressional delegation, to provide all the support we can for the family, students and others involved. We will do everything possible to provide whatever support is needed." Last week, authorities said a 19-year-old Mormon missionary from Utah died after he fell off of a cliff while hiking at Cape Solander Drive in Kurnell, Australia. Gavin Paul Zimmerman, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sydney, Australia, was confirmed dead by his parents on July 22 in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune. Carmelo Pesce, mayor of Sutherland, New South Wales, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that authorities told him a cell phone was recovered at the scene and the 19-year-old was taking photos right before he fell.<doc-sep>A 19-year-old student from Florida in an exchange program in the Middle East drowned while visiting Tel Aviv, according to family members. TeNiya Jones, 19, of Fort Myers had been missing since Saturday night. The body of the University of Kentucky sophomore, who was in a seven-week exchange program in Jordan, washed up on a Israeli beach early Monday, according to The Times of Israel. Jones had disappeared off a beach in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam after entering the water for a late-night swim with two friends and getting caught in a rip current in the Mediterranean. The friends, who also were caught in the current, were able to get to shore and rushed to call authorities, according to a press release from the University of Kentucky. Jones and her friends — a 20-year-old woman from the District of Columbia who attends the University of Kentucky and a 21-year-old man from Illinois who attends West Virginia University in Morgantown, according to family — had decided to take a weekend trip to Israel before returning Friday to the United States. ► July 29:Florida college student missing in Israel disappeared while swimming ► July 28:University of Iowa student goes missing, hasn't been seen 10 days ► March 22:St. Joseph's rugby player Mark Dombroski died from fall in Bermuda During the summer, the University of Kentucky, based in Lexington, Kentucky, offers an intensive Arabic-language study program in Amman, Jordan. Jones was a biology major with a minor in Islamic studies who had earned a spot in the university's premedical program. "She was supposed to start on August 23," said Jones mother, Tosha Thomas-Mora, before she broke down in tears. Jones also had hopes of becoming a walk-on to Kentucky's track team next season. Jones had been an athlete at Fort Myers' Dunbar High School, winning 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles county and district titles before taking silver in the events at regionals. As a high school sophomore won a regional championship in the 300-meter hurdles before suffering an ACL tear. “She worked her (butt) off,” said Jones' former track coach, Guy Thomas. “She’s really mature for her age. She realized falling down and getting back up is a part of success.” In 2017, Jones returned to finish second in the Lee County Athletic Championships. A few weeks later, she won a regional crown in the 100 hurdles. “She came back when everyone was at their peak and she wasn’t,” he said. “And she still showed us all.” Jones mother, Thomas-Mora, is expected to leave Monday for Israel, arriving Tuesday. ► Jan 17:Ex-classmate charged in murder of Penn student over winter break ► July 2017:American student arrested in China has been freed She is facing the death of her second child in less than a year. Her son, Samuel Jones Jr., 22, was shot and killed in a double homicide in December. “I’m destroyed. I’m really destroyed. Why is this happening to her?" said Thomas, Jones former track coach. "She is great at everything she does. She was No. 1 in service to her community. No. 1 in the classroom." Contributing: Adam Regan, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press; Thomas Novelly, Louisville (Ky.) Courier Journal. Follow Melanie Payne and Dan DeLuca on Twitter: @TellMel and @NewsPressDan .<doc-sep>
TeNiya Elnora Jones Screenshot : ABC News A University of Kentucky premed student who was spending the summer in Jordan drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend, just days before she was set to return home. The body of TeNiya Elnora Jones was recovered by authorities on Monday. Two other students who were with her on a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, said that they went for a midnight swim on Sunday when they were caught up in a strong current and pulled out to sea. Her companions made it back to shore, but Jones did not. Jones was reportedly part of a group American studying Arabic in Jordan. The university confirmed that the college sophomore from Fort Myers, Fla., and three other students from her program traveled to Tel Aviv for the weekend. Jones’ mother, Tosha Thomas-Mora, told the News Press that she had exchanged text messages with her daughter at 3:30 p.m on Saturday (10:30 p.m. Israeli time) where her Jones said she was “in for the night.” Less than eight hours later she received a call from the Council On International Educational Exchange, the organization which hosted the study abroad program, saying that her daughter was missing. Thomas-Mora said she later received a call from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, where she was told that Israeli police were still actively searching for her daughter. Thomas Mora said her daughter was a biology major with a minor in Islamic studies. She said her daughter was an excellent student whose high G.P.A. scored her a spot at Kentucky’s premedical program, which she was supposed to start on August 23. “Our thoughts and prayers are with TeNiya, her family and the students and others impacted,” said Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, according to ABC News. “We are in continual contact with TeNiya’s family, officials in Israel, officials from the State Department and our Congressional delegation, to provide all the support we can for the family, students and others involved. We will do everything possible to provide whatever support is needed.” In an even more heartbreaking turn to this awful story, the News-Press reports that in December, Thomas-Mora’s son, Samuel Jones Jr., 22, was shot and killed in a double homicide She and Jones’ grandfather are traveling to Tel Aviv to retrieve her daughter’s body.