Ladysmith's Ashton Clark doubles up: Division 3 high jump and long jump champion

LA CROSSE — Ashton Clark didn't pick a jump. He won both.

Ashton Clark of Ladysmith swept the Division 3 boys' jumps at the WIAA State Championships, winning the high jump at 6 feet, 6 inches and the long jump at 22-11½. Few athletes contest both a vertical and a horizontal jump at state; fewer still win them.

What sets the double apart is that both winning marks were season bests — he saved his best for the biggest stage. In the long jump he had climbed from 21-9½ early in the spring to 22-3½ and 22-2 before reaching a career-best 22-11½ in La Crosse. In the high jump he cleared 6-6 to top a season that had hovered around 6-4 and 6-5.

It's a rare blend of spring: the vertical pop to clear 6-6 and the runway speed to carry nearly 23 feet down the pit. Plenty of jumpers are good at one; Clark was the best in Division 3 at both. Ladysmith's Clark leaves La Crosse a double state champion.