Mount Greylock's Ross Third in Long Jump at New Balance Nationals

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mount Greylock junior Madison Ross placed third in the Emerging Elite Division of the high jump at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday.

 

Ross leapt 19 feet, 2-1/2 inches on her third jump of the compeitition and went to the eight-girl final ranked second among the finalists.

 

That 19-2.5 held up in second place until the third round of the three round finals, when Connecticut's Chelsea Mitchell went 19-3.75 to nudge Ross into second place.

 

Stephanie Simon of Chelsea, Mass., won the event with a mark of 19-3/25, which she turned in on her first jump of the day. She also went 19-0.75 in the finals.

 

Ross' best jump of the finals went for 18-10.75 in her fifth attempt of the day.

 

The 29th annual New Balance Nationals was contested at North Carolina A&T State's Aggie Stadium. More than 5,000 athletes from almost every state competed in the four-day event that concluded on Sunday.

 

Ross also competed in the emerging elite high jump competition.

 

She cleared 5 feet, 1 inch in an event won by My'Kyiyah Williams of Brooklyn, N.Y.'s, Benjamin Banneker Academy with a leap of 5-8.75.

 

Mount Greylock's Jane Skavlem competed in two events, the junior high school triple jump and javelin.

 

In the javelin, Skavlem placed ninth in the nation with a throw of 76 feet, 2-3/4 inches. Evelyn Musonda of Broward County, Fla., won with a mark of 109-10.

 

In the triple jump, Skavlem went 29 feet, 3-3/4 inches to place 32nd in the field.

 

Mount Greylock's Ollie Swabey placed 19th out of 42 finishers in the junior high school 2-mile run. Swabey's time of 10 minutes, 53.68 seconds was just more than a minute behind winner Elliot McArthur of Minnesota (9:45.93).