McKinney senior wins triple jump, takes second in long jump

01:05 AM CST on Sunday, March 28, 2004

By DAVID HINOJOSA / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS – Perhaps fittingly, Plano's Scott MacPherson triggered his kick about the same time the gun lap started in the 1,600-meter run at Saturday's 40th Jesuit-Sheaner Relays.

In doing so, MacPherson showed why he is the area's toughest distance runner as he easily pulled away from Richardson Pearce's Logan Sherman to win the event to culminate a day in which he also set a meet record in the 3,200.

MacPherson won the 3,200 in an area season-best time of 9 minutes, 8.21 seconds, to shatter the previous mark set last year by Plano West's Jonathan Serrell by eight seconds. MacPherson won the 1,600 in 4:17.30, which is his season best.

MacPherson was aiming for the meet record in the 3,200. He thought he was in trouble early when he turned in a 61-second split after the first lap. He feared that he may have taken off too fast and wouldn't have much energy left in the end. However, MacPherson had built such a huge lead, he was able to preserve energy in the middle laps.

"I went out way too fast," MacPherson said. "There were people shouting, telling me how big a lead I had, and that was helpful."

McKinney senior Daniel Quinn hasn't quite perfected his approach in the triple jump, but he says he's getting close. Quinn's efforts were good enough to win the event by nearly four feet with a season-best 47 feet, 2 inches. B.C. Jackson of DeSoto was second with a 43-6 ½ . Quinn won despite scratching on four attempts.

"I'm starting to get there," said Quinn, who also finished second in the long jump. "I'm getting faster each week, and that's making it hard to get a consistent approach. The good thing is that I know I have the distance. It's just a matter of being consistent."

McKinney's Mark Westover set a personal best in winning the pole vault with a 14-0. ... McKinney North's Sean Harriman held off Mesquite Poteet's David Scott to win the 800 in 1:57.07. ... Plano finished fourth in the 5A division with 58 points. Jenks, Okla., won with 88 points.