Coppin State: 40-foot triple jump has Jennifer Mitchell in rarefied air

Jennifer Mitchell, a 16-year old early graduate of Newburgh Free Academy and holder of the school record in the Triple Jump has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Coppin State University in the Fall. Mitchell selected the Eagles over North Carolina A&T State University.

MIDDLETOWN, NY — Jennifer Mitchell of Newburgh Free Academy (Newburgh, NY) has become an assassin on the triple jump runways. At the Section 9 indoor Class A championships, Mitchell edged out Sara Wickes of Monroe-Woodbury for the title on her final jump. At Friday's sectional outdoor state qualifier, Soroya Hudson of Cornwall had already broken the Section 9 outdoor mark when Mitchell unleashed the first 40-foot jump in section history, at 40 and 11/4 inches. That is the second-best jump in the state, trailing only Penn State-bound Marlene Ricketts of Westbury (Nassau County) at 42-4 (tops in the country). Mitchell's jump is 24th in the nation.

"That's amazing,'' Mitchell said of her feat. "I couldn't ask for anything more.''

The triple jump is perhaps the most competitive of all girls' events this season with four athletes ranked in the top 13 in the state, and all over 37 feet. Hudson will also advance to next week's state meet at 39-6 (three inches better than former record holder Dana Weeks of Washingtonville) but Wickes gets nothing for her 38-8 effort.

Mitchell jumped 38-8 in the indoor Class A meet and won the state indoor public school title (she was second in the Federation) at 38-51/2. Mitchell thought she would be able to carry that over to outdoors but she started the season in the 33-34-foot range. Before the championship season, her best marks had only reached 37 while Hudson was soaring, making Mitchell a little nervous.

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Note: Jennifer Mitchell's record 40 feet, 11/4 inch Triple Jump is better than Florida A&M's incoming freshman Cynia Clark of Lithonia, Georgia Redan High School. The 18 year old Clark is the Georgia Division 5A-- 2009 State Champion in the Triple Jump with a distance of 38-03.