By: Paul Schwartz – Record Sports / Northjersey.com
Within a half hour Sunday afternoon, Rutherford freshman Jenna Rogers went from being one of North Jersey’s best freshman track and field stars of all-time to a National Champion record-setting phenom
Remarkably, Rogers had three personal bests, the last an astounding jump of 6 feet ¾ inches on her second attempt to become just the seventh athlete in North Jersey history to win an individual title at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro.
Rogers, just 15, had a personal best of 5-8, and sat tied for third on the all-time Bergen County high jump list and among the top 20 jumpers in New Jersey history when she started jumping Sunday.
She cleared 5-3, 5-5 and 5-7 on her first jump as the field of 44, jumping on parallel pits, was winnowed down to 18. Then at 5-8 ¾, Rogers cleared on her first attempt, and while nine other jumpers also cleared the height, only Shelby Tyler of Noblesville, Indiana and Morgan Smalls of Panther Creek High School in Cary, North Carolina matched her clean sheet.
Jalena Rowe of Bloom Township High School of Chicago Heights, Illinois, the defending champion, cleared 5-10 ¾ or her first attempt, grabbing the lead when Rogers finally missed once. But Rogers then cleared on her second attempt, breaking the 18-year-old Bergen County record of 5-10 held by Cheryl Burdick of Ramsey. Smalls also cleared on her third attempt and the bar went to 6-0 ¾.
All three girls missed their first attempt at the height, before Rogers skied over on her second, breaking the state record of 5-11 set by Tatiana Smolin of Randolph in 1983, and breaking the national freshman record of 6-0 ¼ inch set by 2016 Olympian Vashti Cunningham four years ago.
When no one else cleared, Rogers had the title.
“I had so much fun here and I was much more relaxed than I was at states,’’ said Rogers, who finished third in the State meet of Champions eight days ago. “All the pressure of the season was off and I could enjoy competing against the best kids in the country.’’
Rogers’ grandmother, who lives in nearby Sommerville, N.C. was able to watch her granddaughter jump for the first time and saw Jenna take three shots at the meet record of 6-2 ¼, which would have broken the 6-2 performance by five-time Olympian Amy Acuff in 1991.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m a national champion,’’ said Rogers. “I only know I can go out and have bowls of pasta (linguini with white clam sauce). I stopped eating that for a while.’’
