STARKVILLE — Starkville senior Sterling Scott joked around before practicing on Tuesday afternoon about his Mississippi triple jump record.
The future Missouri Tiger set and tied his own outdoor record of 50 feet, 11 inches, at two successive Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A meets this season, the Division 1 meet and the Region 1 meet.
Of the two, his second jump was the more impressive feat, taking off nearly a foot behind the line and landing without getting full extension.
His career as a Yellow Jacket came to a close in style at Saturday’s 6A state championships in Pearl, winning a second-straight state title in triple jump, but his results left him hungry for more.
“It’s definitely not exactly what I planned on doing,” Scott said. “I planned on breaking the record again, breaking my own record, but I’m still satisfied with my performance and I think that I can still better what I’m doing this season.”
Scott entered Saturday looking to repeat his success as a junior where he won state titles in both triple jump and long jump.
While he replicated that success in triple jump, he fell short in long jump, finishing third with a jump that bettered his title-winning performance from the season before.
He accomplished both jumps nursing a bit of an injury coming in, but even competing at 80-90 percent, his 48-foot, 11.5-inch attempt in the triple jump final was a foot-and-a-half better than second place.
“It just shows you what he’s got in him,” Starkville track coach Tory Reeves said. “He didn’t get to fully show you what he had at the state meet, and I think he’s going to do a little of that when he goes off this summer.”
Scott is one of the best triple jumpers in the U.S. at his age, the runner-up at the 2023 Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City and the current second-best triple jump nationally outdoors.
Before his collegiate career begins in Columbia, he has two national meets remaining, the next coming up in about a month as he heads to Philadelphia and the campus of the University of Pennsylvania for New Balance Nationals.
Competing on the national stage is nothing new to him, but he’ll enter nationals with added motivation following his performance in Pearl.
“It’s a ton of motivation,” Scott said. “One thing about me is that I hate losing. I always want to win at any cost, so I’m going to work my butt off to get back, improve and hopefully win two more nationally-recognized meets.”
As his attention and focus shifts toward Penn’s Franklin Field, his career as a Jacket has come to a close, one that put Starkville jumping on the map statewide and nationwide.
“All the accolades he’s had, they speak for themselves,” Reeves said. “You’re talking about three state championships, a national championship in the summer in the triple. Indoor, he finished second in the national meet. … We’re going to miss him like crazy. He’s been a joy to coach. He’s the type of guy that you want on your team.”
Starkville will have a lot to replace in his absence, a legacy that will be felt at the state level too as Scott holds both the indoor and outdoor triple jump records in Mississippi.
However, Scott is one to never forget where he came from, and just as he will represent himself on a national level this summer and Missouri in college, he’ll be representing the Jackets just the same.
“I feel like it’s a great legacy that all of the other athletes in the state can be inspired by,” Scott said. “… It means everything to me. I love where I come from. I love all of the people, my coaches, my family, everyone who’s helped me and inspired me. I want to represent my school anyway I can, anyway that I can.”
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