Due to a combination of scheduling problems and conflicts, Saturday's so-called Meet of Champions on the Murray High School track was something much less than billed, but that didn't stop Spanish Fork's Jamie Barney from turning in a championship performance.
While many of the state's track prep champions were competing in California, Barney set a new state record with a victory in the long jump at 18-103/4, easily topping her 18-8 effort at the state high school track finals at BYU in May.It was vindication in a way for the senior-to-be, whose 18-113/4 effort at BYU was disallowed because it was wind-aided. Such was not the case Saturday at hot Murray High, where any breeze would have been appreciated.
Barney's second of four leaps was the winner, and she knew it as soon as she "hit the board. I missed the board on all of my other jumps, but I knew that second one was a good one." The same fate dealt her a blow at last weekend's Great Southwest meet in Arizona, where she finished second with a jump of 17-8. But she failed to hit the board on any of her takeoffs in Tempe, and that probably cost her the title. She made sure she caught wood before leaping at Murray on Saturday. She was named top female athlete of the meet.
Unfortunately, most of the other performances were less than stellar. The meet had been scheduled for two weeks earlier at East High, but meet officials couldn't finalize a deal for use of the track. Saturday's hot temperatures and the conflicting Golden West invite in Sacramento depleted the Meet of Champions' field.
It was another long jumper who won male athlete honors, as Millard's Courtney Tuttle won the event with a jump of 22-81/4. Delta's Kyle Rowley turned in a fine performance in the javelin, winning at 205-4. And Cottonwood's Jed Patton won both the 100 meters (10.78) and and 200 meters (22.16).
There was a tie for first in the mile run, with Lehi's Scott Cummings and Mountain View's Kevin Casper crossing the line together at 4:43.45.
Bear River's Holly Gibbons was also a double winner in the sprints, winning the 100 in 12.28 and the 200 in 25.19. Another outstanding effort was Mountain View's Kelly Fugal in the mile, with a winning time of 5:23.51.