Rowan senior Jeffrey Jon Tucker broke a 36-year-old Rowan University high jump record Saturday, clearing 7-1 1/2 at the Coach Pollard Invitational at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa.
Tucker, who set his previous PR of 7-0 1/2 at a meet in Winston-Salem, N.C., in February of 2015, broke the school record of 7-0 3/4 set by Princeton High graduate Pete Sharpless in 1982, when the school was known as Glassboro State. He also broke the meet record of 6-11 3/4 set in 2014 by Adeolu Adesida of nearby Lehigh.
His previous outdoor PR was 6-11 1/2 in April of 2016 at a meet in Baltimore.
Tucker, a graduate of Eastern High School, cleared 6-6 1/2 and 6-8 1/2 on his first attempts. Tucker and senior teammate Harrison Escoffery were the only jumpers over 6-8 1/2.
Tucker needed all three attempts to clear 6-10 1/2 but earned the win when Escoffery missed three tries at 6-10 1/2.
Tucker then had the bar moved up to 7-1 1/2 and cleared it on his first attempt, breaking the school and meet records. He took two attempts at 7-2 1/2 before calling it a day and passing on his final try.
The clearance moves Tucker into the No. 23 spot on the 2018 U.S. list. The South Jersey alumni record of 7-5 3/4 was set in 1989 by Delran graduate Darren Burton in Ylivieska, Finland.
Tucker is a six-time All-America in the high jump and long jump.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 