Rider senior Mariah Stephens, a graduate of Egg Harbor Township, popped the 2nd-best long jump in school history and nearly broke the school record in a meet over the weekend at Ocean Breeze.
Stephens PR’d with a 19-7 ½ on her final jump of a terrific series at the Fasttrack National Invite. That’s No. 7 in NCAA Division 1 Mid-Atlantic Region.
Afer opening with a foul, Stephens jumped 19-5 ¾, 19-2 ¼, fouled again, then hit 19-5 ¾ again before finishing with the 19-7 ½. She had the four-best jumps of the competition.
Stephens’ previous PR was an outdoor wind-legal 19-3 ¾ to win the long jump at the MAAC Championships last May in Lawrenceville. Her previous indoor PR was 19 1 ¼ at last year’s indoor MAAC meet at the Armory. So she recorded the four-best indoor jumps of her life in one meet.
The Rider school record is held by another former Atlantic County athlete, Holy Spirit graduate and Pleasantville native Asia Young. She jumped 19-8 ¾ at the 2018 indoor MAAC Championships, also at the Armory.
Rider’s outdoor record is 20-1 ¼ set by Raisa Thunig or Raisa Palleija – she’s listed in various places with two different last names – at a home meet in Lawrenceville in March 2023. Stephens is No. 3 on the all-time Rider outdoor list, behind Thunig / Palleija and Young, who jumped 19-5 ¾ at the 2018 outdoor MAAC meet at Lawrenceville.
Stephens is No. 1 on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference performance list in the long jump – nobody else is over 19 feet – and she’s also No. 2 in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.80, No. 3 in the triple jump (38-6) and No. 11 in the 60-meter dash (7.85)
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 