Lumberton’s Greg Foster, already No. 2 in state history in the long jump, moved up to No. 6 in state history in the triple jump Friday night.
Foster, a senior at Lawrenceville School, surpassed 48 feet four times, with a best jump of 48-9 ½ at the Garden State High School Invitational at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island, N.Y.
Foster’s previous indoor PR was a 47-8 ½ at the Ocean Breeze Freedom Games last month. He also surpassed his lifetime PR of 47-9 ½ from USATF Junior Nationals in Jacksonville, Fla.
He had five legal jumps Friday and surpassed his lifetime best on four of them. Foster’s 48-9 ½ is No. 7 nationally this year, according to the MileSplit database.
The Princeton-bound Foster opened with a PR 48-3 ½ before hitting 48-9 ½ on his second attempt. He fouled on his third try and then went 46-5 on his fourth before closing with jumps of 48-9 and 48-1.
His five legal jumps averaged 48- ¾ – so he averaged more than his previous PR.
Foster broke the Mercer County record of 48-8 ¾ set by Trenton’s Devon Bond when he placed second at the 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals at Prince Georges Sports and Learning Comples in Hyattsville, Md.
Foster on Friday also won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.62. He didn’t long jump. In addition to top-10 national rankings in the two horizontal jumps, he’s ranked No. 3 in New Jersey in the hurdles with a 7.46 from the New Jersey Prep Champinships at Lavino Fieldhouse in Lawrenceville last month.
All-time New Jersey indoor triple jump list
49- 7 ½ … Jon Pitt [South Brunswick], 2013
49- 6 ½ … Craig Halyard [Ridgewood], 1989
49- 6 ½ … Eric Bethea [Piscataway], 2015
49- 5 ¼ … Dodley Thermitus [Elizabeth], 2017
49- 1 …..… Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], 2018
48- 9 ½ … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville School], 2022
48- 9 …..… Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
48- 8 ¾ … Devon Bond [Trenton], 2007
48- 8 ½ … Tristan Wilson [Delsea], 2014
48- 7 ½ … Myles Hartsfield [Sayreville], 2015
48- 6 ¼ … Darius Pemberton [Hackensack], 1992
48- 5 ¼ … Ralston Braithwaite [Trenton], 2008
48- 0 ½ … Kyle Lindsay [Paterson East Side], 2006
48- 1 ¼ … Wayne Walls [Camden], 2009
47-11 …….. Nadale Buntin [J.P. Stevens], 2018
47-10 …….. Devon Bond [Trenton], 2007
47- 9 …….. Anthony DiCosmo [Paramus Catholic], 1995
47- 7 ¼ … Kevin Johnson [Seton Hall Prep], 1984
47- 6 ¾ … Ed Alston [Hackensack], 1982
47- 5 …….. Jason Katz [Ramapo], 2015
47- 3 …..… Rhodeni Spence [Woodrow Wilson], 2007
47- 2 …….. Tevin Ankle [Glen Rock], 2010
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 