Princeton freshman Greg Foster, a Lumberton native who attended Lawrenceville School, popped the No. 3 long jump in NCAA Division 1 this year Saturday at the Wesley A. Brown Invitational at Navy’s Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse in Annapolis, Md.
Foster only managed two legal jumps, but after two fouls, a pedestrian 24-3 ½ and two more fouls, he soared a lifetime-best 25-10 ¾ on his 6th and final attempt.
That was not only a PR but the winning jump. It moved him past Freddie Allen III of High Point (N.C.) – who led with a 24-6 ½ through five jumps.
Foster’s mark is No. 2 in Princeton history and best in 32 years. The indoor school record is 26-2 ¾ by Al Dyer in a meet at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym on Jan. 6, 1990.
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In his only previous long jump for Princeton, Foster went 25-2 last month at the Joe Handleman Invitational at Jadwin. That was No. 4 in school history.
He’s only managed three legal jumps in two meets, but has registered two of the three-best performances of his life in a Tiger uniform.
Foster’s previous indoor PR was 25-4 ½, when he won Nike Indoor Nationals at Ocean Breeze last March. His previous overall PR was 25-6 ¼ when he won New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June at Franklin Field.
The only superior performances in Princeton history indoors or out belong to Dyer indoors and Ugwunna Ikpeowo, who jumped 26-0 ¼ at 1996 IC4As outdoors at George Mason in Fairfax, Va.
Foster’s mark is No. 1 in the U.S. so far this year and No. 3 in the world, behind Bozhidar Sarâboyukov of Bulgaria, who jumped 26-1 ¼ at the Akademik International meeting Asics Arena in Sofia, Bulgaria, earlier this month, and Thobias Montler of Sweden, who hit 26-1 at the Quality Hotel Games at Telekonsult Arena in Växjö, Sweden, this past weekend.
It also should be No. 38 on the all-time U.S. junior (under-20) list.
As far as I can tell, Foster’s jump is No. 5 ever by a South Jersey native – and No. 4 by a Burlington County native.
29-1 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], Aug. 30, 1991, Tokyo
26-3 ¼ … Matt Rose [Bordentown], Mary 4, 1991, Knoxville, Tenn.
26-1 ¾ … Chris Gillis [Pennsauken], May 12, 2006, Waco, Texas
26-1 ¼ … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], May 13, 2006, Fayetteville, Ark.
25-10 ¾ … Greg Foster [Lumberton], Jan. 20, 2023, Annapolis, Md.
25-7 … Jerome Robinson [Bordentown], July 20, 1991, New York
Foster also ran a PR 7.93 for 2nd in the 60-meter hurdles in a photo finish with another Ivy League freshman, Penn’s Shane Gardner. That’s No. 4 in Princeton history. His previous PR was an 8.06 at the TCNJ Open at the Armory as well as in the trials on Saturday.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 