Gregory Foster of Lawrenceville, the best male horizontal jumper in NJ history when combining the long jump and triple jump, was named the 2021-22 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday.
Foster, who is headed to the University of Princeton, had one of the greatest years in state history. The numbers and the accomplishments are staggering.
Foster finished the indoor and outdoor seasons undefeated in the long and triple jump, he won four nationals, smashed both the indoor and outdoor state records in the triple jump, and he soared his way all the way up to No. 2 in state indoor and outdoor history in the long jump, trailing only the legendary Carl Lewis!!
While Foster's stats and are simply jaw-dropping, the way he seemingly always delivered in the clutch also sets him apart.
At the New Balance Nationals Championships earlier this month at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Foster leaped a wind-legal 51-0.75 on his last attempt to smash the New Jersey state triple jump record and put an exclamation point on his dominating victory. Foster's remarkable series featured three jumps over 50 feet!! His monster leap of 51-0.75 broke the state record of 50-9.25 that Khaliel Burnett of Delsea set at the 2018 State Group 3 Championships, and it is the fourth best jump in the nation this season.
Two days later, Foster did it again.
With the fourth national title of his career already sewn up, Foster soared 25-6.25 on his final attempt in the long jump to put the finishing touches on the victory and cap off his legendary career in spectacular fashion.
Foster's 25-6.25 is the best jump by a NJ high school athlete since the great Carl Lewis of Willingboro leaped 26-8.25 at the 1979 Pan American Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Foster was in second-place behind Alexander Smith of Darby High in Ohio, who hit his PR of 25-3.50 in the fourth round. But Foster, who improved on every jump, quickly took the lead with a 25-4.75 on his fifth attempt before his monster final jump.
Foster also won the LJ (a NJ No. 2 all-time indoors of 25-4.50) and TJ (a state indoor record 49.9.25 ) at the Nike National Indoor Championships this past March at Ocean Breeze.
At the New Balance Indoor Nationals this past March, Foster pulled off the same horizontal double in typical fashion as he once again came up with is best jumps on his final attempts. In the TJ, Fostrer broke the state indoor record when he went 49-9.25 on his final jump to finish first, and he soared 25-4.50, No. 2 in NJ indoor history behind Lewis, on his last attempt in the long jump to secure the victory.
Away from the runway, Foster also excels in the classroom, has served as a peer tutor, and has volunteered locally on behalf of a food bank.
"When Greg arrived on campus his freshman year, he was brimming with potential," said Lawrenceville coach Ian Mook. "We felt that if he could stay healthy and train hard, he could be great. He worked and worked and, despite obstacles, he became so much more than we ever could have imagined at that first practice."
Gatorade will announce its NJ girls winner on Thursday. It would be the one of the biggest upsets of all-time if it's not Angelina Perez NJ of Lakeland.