Clear lock on a second title

NORTON -- The world is full of ifs.

No one knows that better than All-American high jumper Jennifer Harlow of East Bridgewater and Wheaton College.

If she could have run faster, she probably would not have won her second consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 3 indoor championship in the high jump on March 8 in Terre Haute, Ind.

If her physical education teacher was not impressed with her athleticism eight years ago, Harlow might never have gone out for track, never have been an athlete.

It is as simple as that.

Even though she comes from a family of runners -- her father has been pounding pavement since his days as a high school cross-country runner, and two older brothers were members of the East Bridgewater track team -- Harlow had avoided all the youth sports. She never played youth soccer or softball. Her only organized physical activity was a dance class she took in middle school.

But her phys ed teacher in the ninth grade saw something in Harlow. She asked her to go out for the school's track team.

Harlow quickly proved not to be the fastest runner, so one assistant coach had an idea. "She suggested that I try another event," said Harlow. East Bridgewater needed a high jumper.

"I didn't know anything about high jumping. I was afraid of the bar when I first saw it," said Harlow, who couldn't clear 4 feet.

But by the end of her freshman year, she could easily clear the 4 feet. By the time she graduated from East Bridgewater, she was the Class D, state, and regional champion, earning her an athletic scholarship to Wheaton College in Norton.

Not only did she become an All-Scholastic jumper, she also developed her running skills.

As a senior, she was captain of the track team and a multievent champion. Besides high jumping, she ran the high and low hurdles and the 200 meters, and was also a long jumper, winning those events with regularity.

At Wheaton College, Harlow continues to run the high hurdles. In fact, she would have competed in that event in the national championships last week in Indiana, but the hurdles and high jump were held simultaneously. Harlow had to withdraw from the hurdles so she could defend her high-jumping title.

She was the favorite in the 15-athlete field and was hoping to break her season-best jump of 5 feet 8 3/4 inches, which was tops in the nation among Division 3 jumpers this winter.

She easily won with a leap of 5-7, making her Division 3's first back-to-back high-jump champion since 1989-90, when Kim Oden did it for Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Harlow's performance was a half-inch higher than her closest competitor's. The next best jump in the competition was 5 feet 5 1/4 inches.

"Jennifer wasn't happy with the jump," said her coach, Paul Souza. "Her performance was not her best performance, but it was far superior to the rest of the field."

Said Harlow after the event: "I just couldn't get the right footing for my jumps."

But a win is a win, said Souza, who is one of the rising stars in the coaching profession. The former Mansfield High track star -- he still holds the school's high jump record -- has led Wheaton into national prominence. Although the Lyons finished ninth at the NCAA Championships this season, Souza has guided Wheaton to five indoor and three outdoor track titles in the last 13 years.

"We have a young team this year," said Souza. "It was good to have some older athletes, like Jennifer, on the team to help our freshmen make the transition from high school to college track."

Souza remembers Harlow's transition, going from East Bridgewater to Wheaton College.

"The differences between high school and college track can be overwhelming," he said. "When she first came here four years ago, Jennifer struggled. By her sophomore year, she found her groove, and as a junior and senior, she has shined."

Souza said most track athletes can do well in high school simply because of their natural ability. But at the college level, "the talent is so much better that technique and training habits make a huge difference," said the coach.

"Jennifer had to learn that track is a full-time responsibility. You have to put in your time if you are going to succeed," he said.