On June 24, Jaimee Roy placed 14th in the long jump at the USA Junior National Track and Field Championships.

The competition was led by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

On first attempt, Roy landed a jump of 17 feet and 3.5 inches.

Her next two jumps were fouls.

“Jaimee seemed a little tense during her first jump of the competition. It is a very high level competition and anyone of that age would feel the same way,” throwing coach Jessica Sommerfeld said.

In order to be in the junior nationals, the athlete must meet a certain standard during the competition year.

The junior competition is for athletes 19 years old and younger.

“For Jaimee to qualify for this meet and compete with athletes of this caliber was a great honor and experience,” Sommerfield said. “She will be competing against these other young ladies for the rest of her career at big meets.”

Sommerfeld said she believed Roy learned a lot from the competition and will help her be better in the long run.

Roy holds the record for the second best Eastern long jump at 19 feet and 9.5 inches.

She posted this mark on April 17 and the SIUE Gateway Classic.

As well as being a long jumper, Roy is also a triple jumper and a sprinter.

“She is going to continue to mature as an athlete and naturally gain in strength and speed, and as she continues to improve her technique, she will jump far,” Tom Akers, track and field head coach, said.

Kristin Jording can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENmanaging@gmail.com.