Jocelyn Siegel made great strides for North Callaway as a freshman this season.

Siegel qualified for the girls triple jump in the Class 3 state championships on Friday at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City and finished ninth with a distance of 10.44 meters, or 34 feet and three inches. She missed a state medal by one spot but did jump in the finals.

Head coach Reid Randolph said Siegel has plenty to be proud about in her first season. Randolph said North Callaway has brought triple jumpers to state in the past, and Siegel’s progress is comparing well to them and especially school record holder and three-time state medalist Laura Love.

“Laura jumped 33 feet as a freshman, and Jocelyn is getting close to 35,” Randolph said. “That’s saying a lot because Laura got recruited by a lot of schools.”

Randolph coached Love when he started at North Callaway as the middle school coach and then coached all of her high school years. He said teaching Love to triple jump back then and doing the same for Siegel now made it easier to see the similarities between them.

Love, who finished as high as third in her career in the 2007 Class 3 meet, finished eighth at state as a freshman in the 2005 Class 2 meet with a distance of 10.07 meters, or about 33 feet, and Siegel surpassed that mark in her freshman state appearance. Randolph said that didn’t happen by accident.

“(Siegel) has worked even in the things you don’t see like her nutrition and getting enough sleep,” Randolph said. “She has been really good at blocking out the noise that comes with this.” 

Going into the season, Randolph said Siegel had the potential to be a great triple jump just from what he observed about her. The coaching for her this year was “to run fast and keep a good posture on her jump” and that has brought her as far as 35 feet in the pit.

Randolph said the intention is to add more stuff for Siegel to improve but will incorporate them in at her speed. He said North Callaway believes in “coaching the kid, not the event.”

“In middle school, she had a lot of success, jumping low 30s,” Randolph said. “With her length and her speed, it’s great for triple jump. We noticed that for a kid her height, she can hit full speed in about a step or two.”

Randolph said he has a connection to the triple jump so strong that makes it his favorite event. In his first three years at North Callaway, he said he worked at the University of Missouri’s track camps and learned a lot from Mizzou’s coaches and collegiate Olympic coaches. The high school triple jumper said he was motivated to be a better coach when he saw Love’s talent. 

“Track coaches love sharing information and knowledge,” Randolph said. “I still use all the same stuff. I’ve got tons of stuff. In fact, some of the coaches I was with at those camps are great friends to this day.”

Randolph not only talks but sends videos to his coaching friend network, including a former Olympic and Mizzou coach, and asks for their thoughts on how the North Callaway kids could improve. He has done this for more than 20 years.

After 17 years, Randolph has found another triple jumping girl with potential and wants to do everything he can so she can seize it. 

“I was really proud of Jocelyn,” Randolph said. “She showed a lot of maturity. She saw the really good triple jumpers doing a landing and doing this and that. I really appreciate that she trusted us to stick with our plan.”