Mark Jones Makes Summit High History

For the first time in Summit High School history the school has a Meet of Champions winner in the high-jump event in junior Mark Jones. He jumped 6 feet, 8 inches for his first place finish in Toms River at the end of February.

Standing 6 feet, 6 and ¾ of an inch tall, and with parents who were both high-jumpers at Cornell, Jones seems to have been destined for high-jumping greatness.

His father, Bob Jones, was the first high jumper to hit the 7 foot mark in New Jersey as a student at East Brunswick High School in 1977. Mark Jones' personal best is currently 6 feet 10 inches, but his goal is to match his father by jumping 7 feet.

"Right now, I'm just focusing on 7 feet," Jones said. "That's kind of a mile-mark for high school jumping. From there, I want to keep going and see where I can get before college."

He is also, of course, competing with his father's legacy as a high-jumper. His father helps by meeting with the Summit track coaches and going over the details of Jones' jumping mechanics and work-out regiment.

When asked about wanting to match his father's accomplishments, Jones responded, "Yeah. That is part of it, but I'm a little taller than him, so I may have an advantage."

With more than one year left before graduation, Jones has a real chance at the 7 feet goal, especially if he continues to improve as he has since his freshman year. He has been competing at the varsity level since being a freshman, but he was not always jumping 6 feet, 10 inches.

"At the beginning of freshman year, I wasn't jumping that well. I was hitting a lot of high fives and low sixes. 6-4 was my best freshman year, but 6-9 was my best by the end of sophomore year. Now it is 6-10," said Jones.

With the entire spring track season ahead of him, he could improve on that mark before entering his senior year. Jones has practice six days a week, but he only spends one or two of those days focusing on the high-jump.

That's because he is a versatile athlete. Jones also competed in the 55 meter hurdles, some 4x200 meter events, and even once in the shot-put during winter track. In the spring, besides high-jump, he will run in the intermediate events and the 400 meter, as well as 4x400 relays.

"Our goal as a team in spring is to win sectionals," Jones said.

Jones' win at the Meet of Champions was his first, but last year as a sophomore he took fourth in the high-jump event. With practice six days a week, and with the coaching of his father, Jones should be in a strong position to repeat his win at the winter Meet of Champions in the spring, as well as next year.