Jacob Quinlan is ready for the next phase.

The Mexico junior competed in his first career state meet Friday in the Class 4 boys triple jump at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City. Quinlan finished 13th with a distance of 12.68 meters on his third and final jump of the day.

Quinlan said the path going into state was tough. He said he started this year jumping at 11.4 meters and went as far as 13.07 meters to set a personal-best at sectionals the weekend before state. 

“My coaches — (head coach) Bucky (Green), (Austin) Miller and (Kamden) Ekern — have been a big help and the reason I’m here today,” Quinlan said. 

Quinlan said his coaches taught him to “keep your eye off the board and just run through the board,” meaning the boards set up at each phase of the triple jump. He was jumping “about a foot or two behind.”

About a week before districts, Quinlan said he improved being closer to the board and “got a rhythm going.” It happened at the right time because Quinlan had to advance past tough fields in Mexico’s district and sectional.

“The board, you don’t pay attention to it because when you start paying attention to it, you start shortening or lengthening your stride to hit it,” Quinlan said. “You want to naturally hit that and have a rhythm going.”

Quinlan said he started triple jumping in eighth grade and has been with coach Miller since then. He has experience in other events like the long jump and a little bit in the 400 at the start of the season.

Green said the triple jump is Quinlan’s DNA because his father was a triple jumper and his aunt was a long jumper. He said Quinlan is tall and lanky so his long legs can be a huge asset in the event. It is now a matter of further strengthening his leg muscles and improving his technique.

“We had to get him on the board because we knew he could jump,” Green said. “At several meets, he would be 18 inches from the board. We would say, ‘That’s a good jump. Let’s take that 18 inches and add to it, and then that’s a really good jump.’”

While the big jump didn’t happen this time, Quinlan made big jumps a habit when he absolutely needed them. Green said Quinlan needed one at districts and did with a third-place distance of 12.97 meters and then his personal-best 13.07 meters at sectionals snagged the fourth and final state-qualifying spot.

Green said Quinlan definitely has listened to the coaching and incorporated that into his jumping at state. Since it was his first time, Green said he might have been a little “awestruck” but performed well with room to grow next year. It is now on to the second phase of the triple jump, which is commonly referred to as the “step” in the “hop, step, jump” in triple jump and what Quinlan calls the “bounding phase.”

“We know he’s got to work on that second phase,” Green said. “We want to get a little bit further on that second phase. We’ve been talking about it for some time. We get that second phase in, it’s going to make a world of difference.”

Quinlan said he expects to work on his strength and technique this summer to follow what he hopes is just his first state season. 

“I don’t have a whole lot of speed coming down the runway,” Quinlan said. “I’m going to have to do sprinting and a lot of squats to do that.”