Kingsway graduate Orion Joyner, now a junior at Rhode Island, won his first conference title Sunday with a PR at the Atlantic 10 Championships.
Joyner leaped 48-5 ¼ on his first attempt in the triple jump to win the A-10 title at the George Mason Sports Complex in Fairfax, Va.
Joyner’s previous indoor PR was a 47-9 ¼ earlier this month at Boston University. Before this season, his best indoor performance was a 46-5 at Easterns at the Armory as a Kingsway junior in February of 2019. His previous lifetime best jump was a 48-1 ¼ to win 2019 outdoor sectionals at Washington Township in the spring of 2019.
At the A-10 meet, Joyner added a 48-3 on his fourth jump, giving him the two-best jumps of the competition. Freshman David Coles of Virginia Commonwealth placed second at 47-4 ½.
Joyner is URI’s 12th A-10 triple jump champion and first since Casey Burley won the 2018 title.
This was only Joyner’s third meet of the indoor season, all in February. He’s set indoor PRs in each – 46-8 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Mass., and then the 47-9 ¼ in Boston and Sunday’s 48-5 ¼.
Joyner’s 48-5 ¼ is 1 ½ inches shy of the all-time Rhode Island indoor triple jump top-10.
Joyner has only competed in one season of outdoor track at URI with a best jump of 46-2 ½ from a meet in New Britain, Ct., this past May.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 