In what appears to be only his fourth lifetime high jump competition, Paulsboro junior Jamile Gantt nailed a four-inch high jump PR Saturday and won the event at the Woodbury Relays.
Gantt cleared 6-6 on his first attempt to break a tie with Egg Harbor senior Isaiah Glenn.
Gantt and Glenn had both cleared 5-10, 6-0, 6-2 and 6-4 on their first attempt, but Glenn was in the lead with the bar going up to 6-6 because Gantt had a miss at the opening height of 5-8.
Cherry Hill East senior Dillon Page, the Meet of Champions winner last spring at 6-6, placed third at 6-2.
Gantt appears to be Paulsboro’s first high jumper over the bar at 6-6 since Spencer Irvin, who cleared 6-10 at the 1993 Haddonfield Invitational. Irvin is also Paulsboro’s last Woodbury Relays high jump winner. He cleared 6-8 in 1995.
According to his MileSplit results page, Gantt only high jumped twice last year, clearning 6-2 at the Haddonfield Invite and 6-0 for 2nd place at South Jersey Group 1 sectionals at Washington Township. He also ran as fast as 2:02.26 in the 800, which made him the No. 7 sophomore half-miler in South Jersey last year.
Gantt didn’t compete indoors, and his only previous major meet this spring was the Deptford Spartan Relays, where he cleared 6-2.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 