NATCHITOCHES – Senior jumper JaCorious Jeter's Northwestern State track and field career is steadily closing with tons of momentum as the nation's 16^th-best long jumper as NSU prepares to host the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational Friday.
 
Jeter, a Princeton native and Haughton High product, exploded onto the national stage this past weekend with a personal-best 25-4 ½ in a win at the SFA Carl Kight Invitational to move into the country's top 20. The mark is the Southland Conference's best this season.  
 
Over the course of his career, Jeter has finished first on four occasions. He placed first in the long jump at the 2019 SFA Invitational, the 2018 McNeese Last Chance Meet (24-9 ¼) and the 2016 Sam Houston State Last Chance Meet (24-2 ½). He also claimed gold in the triple jump (48-2 ½) at the 2016 SHSU Last Chance Meet.  
 
He was a bronze medalist in the long jump as a freshman at the 2016 Southland Conference Indoors, completing a rare podium sweep by the Demons, a feat that had been accomplished only one other time in that event at a Southland championship since 1980.
 
The Haughton High School product said that he has achieved his athletics career goal, so he simply set a new one.      
 
"My career is coming to an end, but I'm finishing just how I wanted to," said Jeter. "My main goal for my collegiate career was to jump 25 feet, and I just did. Now I've set a new goal to go for the school record."
 
That would put him in elite company. Sharing the record of 26-4 ½ are 2004 and 2008 Olympian Kenta Bell, 1991 Pan Am Games silver medalist Lew Starks and Jarrot Handy.
 
Outside of track and field, Jeter is preparing to graduate with a degree in mass communications and plans to pursue a career as a television host and a producer.
 
"I am starting my own production company and working mainly through YouTube right now," said Jeter. "I'm just building my brand at this point. Once I graduate, I'll have a portfolio to show, and hopefully get some attention from it."
 
Jeter's last regular-season home meet is Friday at the 2019 Leon Johnson NSU Invitational where he is scheduled to compete in the long jump, which will start about 11:45.