Verticals Set New Heights for Little Rock at Jaguar Invitational

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Freshman Jonathan Jones claimed his second win in three meets, broke his own school record and registered the eighth-best high jump mark in the nation at the Jaguar Invitational in Birmingham Sunday.
 
Jones cleared a height of 7-1 (2.16m) – the first Little Rock athlete to ever clear the 7-foot threshold – to win the event at the Birmingham Crossplex. It currently ranks tied for 48^th in the world this year.
 
That event win helped propel Little Rock's men to a fourth-place finish, scoring 58 points and beating out South Alabama by 4.5 points. The women finished 11^th with 18 points, beating UT Arlington by a point and beating Western Kentucky by five points.
 
Meanwhile Christian Matamoros finished fourth in the high jump, matching his previous personal best mark of 6-9 (2.11m), a height that ranks second in school history and fourth in the Sun Belt Conference this year.
 
Then Avianna Trinidad, on the women's side, tied the school record in the pole vault as she cleared bar set at 12-5.5 (3.80m) to finish as the runner-up in just her second collegiate competition.
 
Cameron Jackson, another freshman, matched his fourth-best 60m time in school history as he claimed his first career win. The Kilgore, Texas native ran 6.77 in the finals to win the 60m dash, improving upon his 6.83 time in the prelims. He currently ranks second in the Sun Belt with his 6.77 time.
 
The Trojans had big throws on both the men's and women's sides in the weight throw. On the men's side, Isaiah Parker registered the third-best throw in school history with a mark of 53-5 (16.28m) to finish sixth while. Alison Stephens, on the women's side, registered the second-best throw in school history as she finished ninth with a mark of 52-1.75 (15.89m).
 
In the 5,000m run, Spencer Cardinal finished third with a time of 15:27.97 while, on the women's side, Vianney Sanchez placed fourth after running 18:51.80.
 
Little Rock now returns to the Natural State to compete at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 12-13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the final regular season meet before the Sun Belt Indoor Championships.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Track & Field, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook and Twitter.
 
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