AUBURN – After one round of jumps, even at 10 a.m., some competitors started to wilt in the heat.
Marilyn Angel of Bishop Guertin High School in New Hampshire soared 35 feet, 9 inches on her first jump and was in contention to make the final round of jumps, but couldn’t crack 35 feet, 2 inches again while competitors around her moved ahead.
Emily Poliquin of Lisbon likewise jumped her best on her first jump (33 feet, 7 inches) and then faded
Lindsey Visbaras of Edward Little, though, found a way to beat the heat and 26 other triple jumpers from around New England, placing fifth recently at the New England Interscholastic Track and Field Meet at Saco’s Thornton Academy.
“The top six, we were all really close,” said Visbaras. “Usually there are one or two girls that are so much higher, but we were all pretty much in the 37s this year.”
Visbaras jumped 37 feet, 4 inches on her third jump of the qualifying round, advancing into the second round of jumps.
“The pit where I was jumping, there was some shade there,” said Visbaras. “There was just a relaxed feel to everything. It’s good when it’s warm out, so you don’t pull anything, but this was much warmer than I like it to be.”
In the finals, Visbaras jumped better than the rest of her competitors, popping a 37-foot, 4-inch jump to better her standing. Only one competitor ahead of her even broke 36 feet, but Visbaras was still relegated to fifth place because of the strong first jumps ahead of her.
“It’s not that disappointing, really,” said Visbaras. “I think jumping consistently in the 37s this year is an improvement over last year, and I’m happy about that. I was ready to be done with high school after graduation, really. I had a great time with the team and the people that went down with me, but now it’s time to move on.”
Visbaras will jump for Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania next year as a freshman.
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