In Final Warmup For Nationals, Allen Wins Triple Jump

With one provisional qualification already under his belt, Michael Allen (Fork Union, Va./Louisa County) was looking to add a second on Thursday. Eastern Mennonite University's jumper defended his lofty national status by winning the triple jump at the Virginia Tech/Roanoke Twilight Meet in Salem. His bid in the long jump fell short, however, as he failed to meet the national standard in his last chance before the NCAA National Meet later this month.

While Allen did not equal his best triple jump of the year, he won the event in Salem, topping a handful of other D-III participants with a jump totalling 13.71m. The next closest jumper landed at 13.38m. Allen topped the provisional standard of 14.20m when he won the ODAC Championships on April 23 with a leap of 14.49m.

In the long jump, Allen landed at 6.61m and finished third. To gain a provisional qualification in the event, he needed a leap of 7.05m. The best jump for the Eastern Mennonite junior this spring measured at 6.83m.

Allen now has two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship, which is hosted by Ohio Wesleyan on May 26-28 in Delaware, Ohio.