Following national outdoor leading high jump performance of 5-10.25 (1.79m), versatile junior standout looks to make history in New York by becoming first California female competitor in event to capture national indoor crown
By Pete Marshall for DyeStat
Meagan Humphries is a jumper, literally and figuratively.
The junior at Castaic High in California is a standout in the high jump, long jump and will be eventually in the triple jump. It’s such an integral part of her DNA that she’s “MsJumphries” on social media.
But she’s also had to jump over some challenges in life to get her to the point where she finished second in the high jump and ninth in the long jump at the California state finals last season and got off to a great start to this year with the top outdoor high jump clearance in the country of 5 feet, 10.25 inches (1.79m) on Feb. 4 at the California Winter Championships at Arcadia High.
Humphries will look to continue her momentum, as she is scheduled to compete this weekend in the high jump, long jump and 200 meters at Nike Indoor Nationals at The Armory in New York, which will be the first indoor meet of her career. Humphries is the top seed Friday in the high jump final.
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Track and field are clearly in Humphries’ blood as her father Will was an all-state track athlete in Indiana in the 400 and 800 meters and competed at Jackson State. He is now an assistant coach at Castaic after Meagan transferred from Golden Valley High a couple of months ago.
Humphries began competing in track at age 6, but as a youth, it was more fun than hardcore competition. That feeling changed when she entered Golden Valley as a freshman.
Humphries successfully made the transition to high school, but growing pains limited her to just one event: the high jump.
“Growing pains were so difficult to deal with,” Humphries said. “Sometimes I was wondering if it (competing) was just a waste of time.”
Despite being limited to the high jump, she made an impact. She broke the Golden Valley school record with a jump of 5-4 (1.62m), later she went 5-6 (1.68m) and tied for the top mark by a freshman in the state during the 2021 regular season.
With growing pains subsiding, she was able to compete in more events as a sophomore, adding the long jump, triple jump and 200 meters to the high jump.
Four times in the regular season last year, Humphries recorded marks of at least 18 feet in the long jump, although she rarely…
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