Penn Relays: A Quakers recruit, Seannah Parsons, stars in triple jump at her future home field

During the 130th annual Penn Relays, Franklin Field got a sneak peek at one of its future stars on Thursday.

Seannah Parsons, a senior at Randolph High School in Morris County, N.J., who’s committed to Penn, performed for the first time at the historic venue — coming second in the high school girls’ triple jump championship with a leap of 41 feet, 7¼ inches. Jamaica’s Zavien Bernard took the title at 41-10½.

Earlier this month, Parsons competed at the CARIFTA Games, an annual top Caribbean athletics competition in St. George’s, Grenada, with the Trinidad and Tobago team.

She jumped 43 feet — good for 10th in the world this season for girls under 20 years of age, and No. 1 in the United States. Looking toward the rest of the outdoor season, Parsons is keeping her eye on winning gold at the U20 World Championships, Aug. 5-9, in Eugene, Ore.

“I want to win every meet,” Parsons said. “But worlds, because that’s a very big title, I’m hoping to jump close to 45 feet. I know that’s a big thing to say, but I know I can get there, because I’ve improved three feet in one season, so I know I can improve two more.”

Before her second jump that earned her second place on Thursday, Parsons was hitting some dance moves that may be familiar to New Jersey natives.

Parsons’ attitude and pride for her home state gave fans an extra spectacle before her event, as a quick, sharp bounce, and “scuba” got her ready to compete.

“I’ve got to represent Jersey,” Parsons said. “New Jersey vs. the world.”

“At the end of the day, it’s sports,” said Austin Willis, Parsons’ coach. “So just trying to remind them to have fun. Obviously, pressure makes diamonds. You want to be focused and intentional about what we’re doing. But at the end of the day, it’s a sport. You got to have fun with it. If you’re too serious, you tense up. So it’s just a matter of keeping her loose and just keeping her in the moment.”

Parsons did not participate in the Penn Relays last year because it conflicted with the CARIFTA Games. Entering the event as the favorite this year, she expected a weaker finish than her recent record-setting performance because of her heavy lifting cycle.

“My series, it was good,” Parsons said. “It was a solid series, because this is my first time jumping for the outdoor season. It wasn’t the results I wanted, but I knew it was the best I could do.”

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Moose Akanno, Penn’s associate coach and women’s horizontal jump specialist, chatted with the future Quaker on Thursday.

The coaching staff and the school’s academics were the biggest draws for Parsons ahead of her commitment.

“I’m a very academic person,” Parsons said. “I care a lot about my academics, and I had the option to go to a lot of schools that are better at track, but I decided to come here because it has a balance of both, and they’re great at both. So yes, I’m extremely excited. I love the city, I love the campus, and I love the field.”

The event’s winner, Bernard, competes with Hydel High School of St. Catherine, Jamaica, and is a friend of Parsons, who lived in Trinidad and Tobago from ages 2 to 6.

The Penn Relays is one of the largest gatherings of Caribbean athletes in America, with thousands of competitors and fans traveling to Philadelphia each year.

Parsons believes this meet is a chance to unify the community.

“There’s one Caribbean, and when we’re here, we’ve got to represent the Caribbean as a whole,” she said. “It’s not Trinidad vs. Jamaica, America vs. Jamaica. Everyone’s trying to compete for themselves.”