Sophia Curtis did it again.
Curtis, who has a knack for coming up with clutch performances when it matters most, delivered another gem on Friday when the junior at Ocean City soared 40-10.25 to rally from sixth place to second overall and first among Americans in the triple jump at the 127th Penn Relays presented by Toyota at Franklin Field.
Curtis, whose was sitting in sixth with a 39-0.25, knew she had a big jump in her.
"I always have the mindset that I a big jump can come at any time and to not think about the prior jumps,'' said Curtis. "So on that last jump I just moved back a step back and everything came together.''
Curtis finished behind Jade-Ann Dawkins of St. Jago in Jamaica finished first with a 42-8.75. Alexandra Bonn of Union Catholic, the reigning indoor and outdoor Meet of Champions winner in the TJ, placed eighth with a 38-2.25.
Curtis, who hit a 41-3.25, No. 2 all-time in NJ indoor history when she placed third at the New Balance Indoor Nationals last month, said one of the biggest keys to her big final jump was running the 4x100 in the middle of the TJ competition.
"I didn't get off to a great start in the triple jump,'' said Curtis. "But after my first three jumps I had to hop on the track and run the 4x100, and that really got my legs loosened up and that helped me jump better in the finals.''
Curtis said she had no idea that the top American finisher earned a prestigious Penn Relays golf watch, which is also awarded to each winner.
"I didn't know anything about it when all the sudden they handed it to me,'' said Curtis. "That was a really nice surprise. To come to such a big meet like this and finish in second place and get this watch is a dram come true.''
