From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: I’Mara Ford, Moorestown

Moorestown’s I’Mara Ford enjoyed a huge junior year, long jumping 17-11, triple jumping 37-4 and high jumping 5-6.

She’s the No. 3 returner in South Jersey in the long jump [behind Winslow’s Ma’Syiah Brawner and Absegami’s Jaidah Garrett], No. 3 in the triple jump [behind Brawner and Garrett] and tied for No. 1 in the high jump [along with Williamstown’s Addison Inge].

At the South Jersey Elite at Delsea, Ford was 2nd in the long jump [behind Garrett], 3rd in the triple jump [behind Sophia Curtis and Garrett] and 3rd in the high jump [behind Clayton’s Alanna Woolfolk and Egypt Bolan of Lindenwold].

At the Burlington County Open at Northern Burlington, she won the high jump and took 2nd in both horizontal jumps [behind R.V.’s Lauren Fadairo].

And at the Olympic Conference Championships at R.V., she was 2nd to Brawner in the high jump, 3rd in the long jump [behind Brawner and Shawnee’s Sakiyah Horsley] and 4th in the triple jump.

Ford had a big weekend at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals, placing 2nd [to Brawner] in the high jump, 4th [behind Garrett, Brawner and Curtis] in the long jump and 6th in the triple jump.

At states, she was top 10 in all three jumps, and at Meet of Champions she placed 2nd in the high jump with her 5-6 PR. Inge also cleared 5-6, getting the win with one fewer miss at 5-6 than Ford.

Moorestown hadn’t had a girl place in the top three at Meet of Champions since Jessica Kloss took 2nd in the pole vault at the 2005 meet in South Plainfield, but both Ford and junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner – who won the pole vault – did it this year.

The last Moorestown girl to place in the high jump at Meet of Champions was Sandy Tokoto, who tied for 2nd at the 1991 meet in South Plainfield with a 5-4 clearance.