By: Sean Moylan
Long before Florence Township Memorial High School had firmly established a girls’ varsity track and field team, there was Anna Cook making incredible jumps and grabbing headlines week in and week out.
Well, some things never change.
A week after placing second in the high jump at the Group I State meet with a 5 foot 4 inch leap, Cook, now a senior, was back at Tom’s River for Saturday’s girls’ indoor track and field Meet of Champions, where she cleared 5 feet 6 inches to tie with Columbia’s Bianca Stewart for second place.
"That 5 foot 6 inch jump was her personal best indoors. She almost had 5 feet 8 inches on her first jump, but she brushed it (the bar) going over," said Florence track and field coach Rodney Robeson.
What’s amazing is Cook hardly ever had a chance to practice because of the recent cold weather. However, Robeson did bring some of the equipment inside recently so Cook could attempt a few modest jumps. But Saturday was the first time she attempted to go over the bar at 5′ 8" and she almost made it.
Last year Cook won the high jump event at the Group I indoor state meet and outdoors she won the high jump event at the Meet of Champions.
A brilliant young lady, Cook has already expressed interest in several Ivy League schools and they are interested in her as well. After a nightmarishly long day at the Group I meet, Cook was in and out of the Meet of Champions with a silver medal in less than two hours. But her indoor season is not quite over yet. She’s scheduled to compete in the high jump at a National meet at the New York City Armory on March 9th. This winter, Cook was basically a one-girl track and field gang for Florence. But for Cook it was just like old times.
Then in Sunday’s boys’ Meet of Champions, Bordentown’s "Marvelous" Marvin Carter ran a 51.86 second time to place 18th in the 400 meter race. Carter is also a terrific 800 meter runner, who is looking forward to a great spring track and field season.

