You could make a strong case that in the spring of 2013,ย Alyssa Thompsonย of Salpointe Catholic High School produced the greatest performance for an female athlete in Tucson prep history, any sport. She won state championships in the long jump, triple jump, 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. She had earlier signed with Wake Forest, where as a freshman she set a school record in the pentathlon (seven indoor decathlon-type events). Over the summer, Thompson transferred to Arizona and on Friday she had quite a debut. In an indoor meet in Flagstaff, Thompson long-jumped 19 feet 11ยพ inches, a personal best; threw the shot put a personal best 35 feet one-half inch; and tied her personal bests in the 60 hurdles and high jump. She is now working with UA jumps coachย Sheldon Blockburger, who has coached NCAA championsย Brigetta Barrettย and decathleteย Jake Arnold, among others. If you convert Thompsonโs Friday times/distances and add her average 800 meters time, she wouldโve scored 3,941 points. How good is that? Last year 3,927 points won the MPSF heptathlon womenโs championship, which includes all Pac-12, Mountain West Conference and West Coast Conference schools.ย
Thompsonโs strong debut for Wildcats not at all surprising
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
Greg Hansen
Columnist
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