Khaliel Burnett jumped 49-1 on his second attempt in the triple jump at the 84th annual Eastern States championships at the Armory to destroy the South Jersey record.
Burnett, whose previous indoor PR was a 47-10 at the Varsity Classic at the Armory earlier this month, broke the South Jersey record of 48-9 set by Haddon Heights’ Dominique Irons, also at the Armory, five years ago at the New Balance Games.
Burnett’s mark is No. 5 in state history behind Jon Pitt of South Brunswick (49-7 3/4 at the 2013 Varsity Classic), Piscataway’s Eric Bethea (49-6 1/2 at the 2015 Easterns), Ridgewood’s Craig Halyard (49-6 1/2 at 1989 Easterns) and Elizabeth’s Dodley Thermitus (49-5 1/2 at last year’s Easterns). Each mark was made at the Armory with the exception of Halyard’s, which came at Jadwin Gym in Princeton.
Burnett has an outdoor PR of 48-9 1/2, so tonight’s jump was his best ever under any conditions. He jumped 48-9 1/2 in June when he won the Meet of Champions.
Burnett fouled on his first attempt before hitting the record setter. He finished the trials with a 46-10 1/2 jump, then jumped 44-4 and 46-9 in the finals, finishing with a foul.
His mark is No. 6 in Easterns history.
Here’s a look at the all-time Easterns top-10:
51-6 …….. Ronel Forde (Shaker, Va.), 2016
49-9 …….. Gary Jones (Webster Schroeder, N.Y.), 2006
49-6 1/2 … Craig Halyard (Ridgewood, N.J.), 1989
49-6 1/2 … Eric Bethea (Piscataway, N.J.), 2015
49-1 1/4 … Erik Clinton (Hope, R.I.), 1993
49-1 …….. Khaliel Burnett (Delsea, N.J.), 2018
48-9 1/2 … Sanya Owolabi (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), 1977
48-9 1/4 … Steve Crouse (Colonie, N.Y.), 2008
48-8 1/2 … Tristan Wilson (Delsea, N.J.), 2014
48-6 3/4 … Shawn Tittley (Seneca Valley, N.Y.), 1983
48-6 1/2 … Dewey Sanders (Seton Hall Prep), 1986
48-6 1/2 … Antonio Davis (Walt Whitman, N.Y.), 1990
Burnett is the second Easterns triple jumper from Delsea in the last five years. Tristan Wilson jumped 48-8 1/2 to win the meet in 2014. That also stood as the Gloucester County (and school) record until Tuesday night.
Another Delsea jumper, Keon Grady, placed second Tuesday night with a jump of 46-3 1/2 on his final attempt. That jump moved him up from eighth to second and also moved Grady into the No. 6 spot in South Jersey history.
Grady had a PR of 44-2 1/2 going into Easterns (with an outdoor PR of 43-10 1/4 from last year’s sectionals). He broke his PR on his first jump with a 44-7, then went foul / pass / 44-0 / foul before popping his nearly two-foot PR on his final leap.
Here’s a look at the eight 45-foot jumpers in South Jersey history:
49- 1 …..… Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], 2018
48- 9 …..… Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
48- 8 1/2 … Tristan Wilson [Delsea], 2014
48- 1 1/4 … Wayne Walls [Camden], 2009
47- 3 …..… Rhodeni Spence [Woodrow Wilson], 2007
46- 3 1/2 … Keon Grady [Delsea], 2018
45- 3 1/2 … Zakiyy Williams [Rancocas Valley], 2015
45- 0 …….. Earnest Daniel [Kingsway], 2017
Finally, here’s a list of every Easterns winner over the years from Delsea:
2018
Khaliel Burnett, Triple Jump (49-1)
2015
Ameer Banks, High Jump (6-10)
2014
Tristan Wilson, Triple Jump (48-8 1/2)
1995
Sultan Tucker, 55-Meter Hurdles (7.47)
1996
Sultan Tucker, 55-Meter Hurdles (7.23)
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 