Reese finishes second at nationals
Mississippi Gulf Coast Athletics Hall of Famer Brittney Reese fell just short of her attempt to win an 11th national championship Saturday in Sacramento, Calif. Reese leaped 22 feet, 10.75 inches, with Tianna Bartoletta edging her by three inches.
Reese has won seven outdoor and three indoor national championships, and she'll head to London for this summer's World Championships looking for her fourth title there. She also has three world indoor championships.
Bartoletta jumped 23 feet on her first attempt, and Reese went 21-1.75. She kept cutting in that deficit by going 22-3.75 in the third round before her best jump of the day in the fifth. Bartoletta tacked on 5 centimeters with her final leap.
"It's always revenge with me and Tianna," Reese said. "I got her at (the Prefontain Classic), she got me here. We've gone back and forth all year long, which is good for our sport."
Reese, who has Olympic gold and silver medals on her resume, leads the world this year with a jump of 23-4.75. The world championships take place Aug. 4-13. The long jump preliminaries take place Aug. 9, with the finals two days later.
"I am really excited to get back there, won my first (Olympic) medal there," Reese said. "Hopefully the magic is still there so I can secure another medal for myself. I am really excited to be back on the team. I am pleased to be on another team with another opportunity."
She was elected into the MGCCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. She was an NJCAA All-American in basketball at Gulf Coast.
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