Freshman Jayden DeLeon from Highland smashed the Rutgers-Camden indoor high jump record Sunday when he cleared 6-10 ¼ at the Ott Center.
DeLeon broke his own school record of 6-8 ¾, which he cleared twice earlier this year, both times at Ocean Breeze.
On Sunday, at the TCNJ Last-Chance Meet, he cleared 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 and 6-6 on his 1st attempt, 6-8 on his 2nd, then broke the school record for a 1st time with a 1st-jump clearance of 6-9 before getting over the bar on his 2nd attempt at 6-10 ¼. DeLeon and former Holy Family NCAA Division 2 All-America Nishorn Pierre had the bar moved up to 7-0 ½, where they each missed three attempts.
The Rutgers-Camden outdoor school record is listed as 6-5 by Ken Wise from Haddon Township in 2010 in Springfield Mass., so DeLeon’s jump Sunday was the best in school history indoors or out.
With the 6-10 ¼ clearance, DeLeon solidified his NCAA Division 3 ranking and locked up a spot at D-3 Nationals later this month in Birmingham, Ala. He was 19th before Sunday but is now up to 5th.
Of the five Division 3 jumpers who have cleared 6-10 or better this winter, four are from South Jersey schools. Rowan freshman David Brown is No. 1 at 7-2 ¼, Rowan’s Jamile Gantt and Noah Wampole are tied for 3rd at 6-10 ¾ and now DeLeon is 5th. Two other Rowan jumpers have cleared 6-8 ¾ and are tied for 15th – Pleasantville’s Isaiah Davenport, Pierre’s one-time teammate at Holy Family, and Arrington Rhym.
DeLeon tied his lifetime best Sunday. He cleared 6-10 ¼ last February when he won the South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at the Bubble on the way to the Meet of Champions title.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 