Salem’s Anthony Parker destroyed Rowan’ s indoor long jump record Friday in his fourth collegiate meet.
Parker, a freshman, won the long jump at the Metropolitan Invitational at Ocean Breeze with 24-9 ¾ on his final attempt, breaking the school record of 24-2 ½ set by Ahmir Johnson of Wissahickon High at the Armory in 2024. Parker jumped 24-1 ½ at the Armory last week, missing Johnson’s record by an inch.
His jump Friday is No. 2 in NCAA Division 3 this year, behind only senior Joshua Rivers of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, who jumped 25-5 ½ in a home meet last month.
It’s the best jump in Division 3 by a freshman in nine years, since Matt Fleming of Benedictine University of Lisle, Ill., jumped 24-10 in a meet in February 2017 in Kenosha, Wisc.
Parker’s jump is No. 24 in NCAA Division 3 history, according to the records and lists section on the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches web site. https://web4.ustfccca.org/iz/records-lists/atb-lists/9?view=full.
He also broke the NJAC indoor record of 24-8 ½ set in 1988 by Stockton’s Greg Foster of Shawnee at the Division 3 Championships in Northampton, Mass. Foster’s son Greg, a junior at Princeton, is currently the No. 2 long jumper in Division 1 at 26-5 ¾.
Parker’s jump is also No. 14 all-time by South Jersey alums.
He opened at 22-4 before a couple 23-foot jumps at 23-6 and 23-7. After a 22-11 to open the finals, he passed on his 5th attempt before finishing strong with the 24-9 ¾. Amari Campbell of St. Peter’s and St. Joe’s Metuchen in Jersey City placed 2nd with a 23-7 ¾
Parker tied Rowan’s all-conditions record of 24-9 ¾ set by Ahmir Johnson outdoors at the 2022 NCAA Division 3 Championships in Geneva, Ohio, with a legal 1.0 wind.
Parker had a high school indoor PR of 22-3 when he placed 4th in the Meet of Champions this past March at Ocean Breeze. His lifetime best before Saturday was 23-9 in a meet at Delsea this past May with no wind gauge at the long jump. His outdoor wind-legal best was 21-7 ¾ at West Philly Nationals, one of the few outdoor meets that has a wind guage at the horizontal jumps.
Rowan sophomore Chace Pearson of Timber Creek, a transfer from Barton County College in Great Bend, Kans., placed 7th at 22-6 ¾, a college PR for Pearson. At Timber Creek he jumped 23-3 when he won the 2022 indoor Meet of Champions at the Bubble.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 