AT THE NCAA INDOOR in March Tennessee went 1-2 with the Jamaican pair of frosh Wayne Pinnock and junior Carey McLeod. The Vols sought to do one better here as soph Anthony Riley also qualified into the meet making it a trio for jumps coaches Nick Newman and Ken Harnden.
Florida State would eventually change any sweep goals as senior Isaac Grimes and soph Jeremiah Davis went 2-3.
Jumping into parallel pits, Pinnock took the early lead at 25-9¼ (7.85) and that led when they reshuffled the lineups for the final 3 rounds (where athletes would continue to jump in their original pits).
After 2 jumps in round 5, Tennessee sat in 1st (Pinnock), 2nd (McLeod) and 4th (Riley) before the garnet & gold of Florida State rose to the occasion. Davis produced a PR 26-3 (8.00) and went into the lead to end the penultimate sequence.
In round 6, 5 of the 9 jumpers improved and places shuffled accordingly. Grimes hit 26-1¾ (7.97) to move all the way up into 2nd, so the Seminoles held the top two spots with 6 jumps remaining.
It would stay that way until the final jump of the competition when Pinnock would jump 8.00 (26-3) to match Davis for the competition’s best mark. However, the second-best-jump tiebreaker went to Pinnock, 26-1½ (7.96) to 25-10 (7.87) and he took home the title to match his indoor crown.
Pinnock became Tennessee’s first outdoor winner and this was the fourth time the title has been decided on a countback (the last being on ’07). The ‘Noles’ Davis and Grimes finished up 2nd and 3rd for the first time two FSU athletes have been first team All-America in the event.
Said Pinnock, who has had hamstring issues, “I was catching cramps all day. I mean I was feeling my knee also but I mean like I said, ‘It’s gonna take a fighter to fight. That’s what I did. I mean it was pretty hard but I just, take a deep breath, and just got the job done.”
MEN’S LONG JUMP RESULTS
(June 08; winds ranged from +1.7 to –0.7)
1. ***Wayne Pinnock’ (Tn-Jam) 26-3 (8.00)
(25-4¾, 26-1½, 25-5½, 25-5¼, 26-1½, 26-3) (7.74, 7.96, 7.76, 7.75, 7.96, 8.00);
2. **Jeremiah Davis (FlSt) 26-3 (8.00)
(25-4¾, f, f, 25-5½, 26-3, 25-10) (7.74, f, f, 7.76, 8.00, 7.87);
3. Isaac Grimes (FlSt) 26-1¾ (7.97)
(25-4¾, 24-9¾, 24-11¾, 25-1¼, 25-3¼, 26-1¾) (7.74, 7.56, 7.61, 7.65, 7.70, 7.97);
4. Carey McLeod’ (Tn-Jam) 25-11 (7.90)
(25-9¼, f, 25-8, 25-10¼, 24-11¼, 25-11) (7.85, f, 7.82, 7.88, 7.60, 7.90);
5. Brandon Hicklin (NCAT) 25-9½ (7.86)
(25-6¼, 25-4, 24-3½, 25-4¾, f, 25-9½) (7.78, 7.72, 7.40, 7.74, f, 7.86);
6. *A’Nan Bridgett (Rut) 25-9¼ (7.85)
(24-8¼, 25-8¼, 25-9¼, 25-6, 25-1¼, 25-8¼) (7.52, 7.83, 7.85, 7.77, 7.65, 7.83);
7. **Stacy Brown (Tx) 25-7½ (7.81)
(f, 24-8½, 25-5¼, 20-1, 25-½, 25-7½) (f, 7.53, 7.75, 6.12, 7.63, 7.81);
8. **Anthony Riley (Tn) 25-7¼ (7.80)
(25-2¾, 24-¼, 25-4, f, 25-7¼, 25-6¼) (7.69, 7.32, 7.72, f, 7.80, 7.78);
9. Cameron Crump (MsSt) 25-1¼ (7.65); 10. *James Carter (Ia) 24-11¼ (7.60); 11. **Jeremiah Willis (Louis) 24-9 (7.54); 12. ***Kenson Tate (Lam) 24-8½ (7.53); 13. Jason Smith (LBSt) 24-8¼ (7.52); 14. Treyshon Malone (IdSt) 24-7¼ (7.50); 15. Isaiah Holmes (Mia) 24-6½ (7.48); 16. **Kareem Mersal’ (Wy-Ita) 24-6½ (7.48); 17. ***Johnny Brackins (Bay) 24-6¼ (7.47); 18. ***Reinaldo Rodrigues’ (Az-Bra) 24-4½ (7.43); 19. **Gabriel Binion (GCan) 24-2½ (7.38); 20. Safin Wills’ (Pur-Jam) 24-1½ (7.35); 21. *Aaron Johnson (UtV) 24-¼ (7.32); 22. **Christiaan Le Roux’ (UTSA-SA) 23-11¾ (7.31); 23. **Russell Robinson (Mia) 23-2 (7.06); 24. *Ryan Brown’ (Ar-Jam) 22-3¾ (6.80). ◻︎