The merger of sports when Jackson Memorial and Jackson Liberty combined to form Jackson Township High School was no simple task for many programs.
In track & field, however, the fruits of the unification are evident at the top of the state rankings. That’s where you’ll find Jason Lin and Skylar Carpenter.
Lin, a senior, ranks first in the boys pole vault with a top clearance of 15 feet.
Carpenter, a junior, ranks first in the girls 200-meter dash (time of 24.54 seconds) and third in the 400 (55.42).
Their talents will be showcased this week at the prestigious Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Lin is seeded 14th in Friday’s vault. Carpenter will run on the Jaguars’ 4x100 and 4x400, which take place Thursday. Both have benefited from having more people to train with and more brains to pick this year.
“There’s a lot more people,” Carpenter said. “I train with the boys, and it definitely helps.”
Carpenter burst onto the scene last spring as a sophomore at Jackson Memorial, clocking 12.16 in the 100 dash and 24.69 in the 200. This past winter she placed seventh in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 400 (56.48), an eye-opening achievement.
“I wasn’t even thinking about the 400 last year,” she said. “I was thinking about shorter sprints. Now that I’m getting better and better and want to push myself more, I definitely want to focus on the 400 more.”
Her blistering times this spring in the 200 and 400 came at the A South Championships April 15 – and took place only 30 minutes apart.
“I was so bad, I had to put my legs up (afterward),” she said.
Having run cross country – a change of pace for someone who grew up playing soccer – helped build the strength needed for that kind of double.
“I genuinely think this is a sport that pushes your mentality,” she said. “It challenges you to do more than you think you’re capable of.”
Is Carpenter capable of breaking the Ocean County record in the girls 400 – a 54.73 set by Lakewood’s Shavon Greaves in 2007?
Jason Lin was a good vaulter last spring, clearing 13-0 as a junior at Jackson Liberty. Now he’s a great one – the 15-foot barrier is rarefied air around these parts. The difference? He spent much of the summer practicing at Jackson Memorial, which left its pole vault pit out.
“I went with a friend two or three times a week,” he said. “I grinded really hard over the summer.”
They’d spent mornings or evenings out there, up to four hours at a clip.
“My coaches are a big help,” Lin said. “They always get the poles I need to progress. The pole I’m using now is a foot longer and 20 pounds heavier (than last year’s).”
The results: a 14-6 indoor clearance and second place finish at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, followed by the 15-footer at Raritan High School’s Rocket Relays April 4.
Like most vaulters, Lin was introduced to the event as a high school freshman, and he was tested by a mishap as a sophomore, suffering a broken bone in his wrist when he landed arm-first into the planting box.
“When I came back (the next school year) I had a fear of jumping – not a complete fear, but I was a little more anxious,” Lin said. “But after a week the muscle memory kicked in, and I was determined to get better.”