Greene County sophomore Megan Durbin topped her career best high jump of 5′ 5″ with a leap of 5′ 8″ to win the girls high jump title at the Drake Relays in Des Moines Thursday.
Jumpers in the finals had all cleared 5′ 4″ and the bar for the finals was set at 5′ 6″. Durbin jumped the last of six jumpers. Every girl missed their three attempts at 5′ 6″, and Durbin also missed her first two attempts. She cleared the bar on her third attempt and won the title. Had she not made that jump and the winner been determined by a tie-breaker at 5′ 4″, it wouldn’t have been Durbin.
After winning the title at 5′ 6″, Durbin continued jumping. She cleared 5′ 6-1/2″ on her second attempt, and then 5′ 7″, also on her second attempt. She cleared 5′ 8″ on her second try but did not clear 5′ 9″ on three attempts.
Durbin’s 5′ 8″ jump topped the all-time Jefferson/J-S/Greene County record by two inches.
Durbin was the lone Ram qualifier for the Drake Relays. She is the first Drake Relay champion from a Jefferson-based program since Allison Drewry won the 100 meter dash in 1994.
She placed second with a jump of 5′ 4″ in the 2015 girls 3A state track and field meet at Drake Stadium as a freshman. The winning jump was 5′ 5″ by a senior from Union High School in La Porte City.
Dean Lyons coaches Ram jumpers. Kelly Simpson is head girls track and field coach.
