Kirschling Earns All-American Status in High Jump

A performance that earns one the No. 2 standing the state would be enough to leave most athletes satisfied.

Not Megan Kirschling, though.

Two weeks ago the West Deptford High School junior cleared 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump to finish in second place at the Meet of Champions. The performance was viewed as a great ending to a record-breaking season.

Yet Kirschling  wanted one more go at it. And she delivered big.

Kirschling competed at the New Balance games in Greensboro, NC, over the weekend, placing tied for fifth and earning All-American status in the high jump.

With that, her season is finally over.

“Once I finished the Meet of Champions on a pretty good note, I knew that I wanted to continue the season and really wanted to see how much better I was able to do,” Kirschling said. “This was my first really big meet, so I was excited. I figured I would go for it and whatever happens, happens.”

What happened was a jump that cleared 5-6.05 and a trip that she will remember long past the summer.

Kirschling left West Deptford Thursday afternoon with her mother and Bishop Eustace athlete and West Deptford resident Julianna Ardire and her mother. Kirschling did not have to compete on Friday, so she took the opportunity to soak in the atmosphere at North Carolina A&T University–the type that comes with a national championship event.

“It was really exciting, because when we got down there, we actually went to see a girl I knew who was running in a race, so I got to go in as a spectator," Kirschling said. “I got to watch and see what it was all about, the crowd and stadium. It was a really cool experience.”

She also took some time to visit a handful of colleges in the surrounding area to both kill time and give her options as a college decision approaches at some point between now and next year.

On Saturday, Kirschling cleared her opening height of 5-5.05, but had to wait as weather forced the athletes inside during a delay. After about an hour and a half, Kirschling returned to the track for her next jump. She failed to clear 5-6.05 on her first two attempts, but made it on her third to secure a spot in the top five and All-American status.

Being an All-American is an honor Kirschling was not expecting when she left for North Carolina.

“It’s amazing, because I really just wanted to go down there and compete because I wasn’t ready to stop,” she said. “To actually place is an amazing feeling and I am so happy about that.”