Buckeyes' Davion Fisher goes big in long jump

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Davion Fisher always knew he had big jumps in him. When you jump 24 feet, 10 inches in high school, it's to be expected.Entering Ohio State as the OHSAA's Division I state long jump champion only added to the weight on the Fisher's shoulders. And as nagging injuries, a lack of confidence, health issues and the stress from academics took their toll on the 2016 Sandusky High School graduate, there were times he never thought he'd get back to an elite level.Saturday will go a long way toward boasting his confidence. Competing for the Buckeyes at the University of Virginia's Virginia Challenge, Fisher crushed his previous collegiate-best mark, jumping 7.56 meters (24-9.75) to earn runner-up honors behind N.C. State's Ja'Von Douglas (24-11)."I came into the training week with my heel banged up. I just wanted to come down here and do as best as I could," Fisher said. "Me and my teammates got to the track in the morning and began our warm-up. I took some ibuprofen before run-throughs and I felt pretty good. I took my first jump and it felt good, but I fouled."My coach adjusted my mark and I took my second jump, and it felt just as good as the first did. I walked over to the official and she said, '7.56, good jump.' After that, I was feeling great."Fisher's previous best mark was 24-3.75, set as a freshman in a first-place effort at the All-Ohio Championships."Going into finals, I felt even better than I did in the first round," Fisher said. "On my second-to-last jump, I put a big one out there but I fouled. One of the officials that was measuring told me that it was right at 26 feet."In high school, Fisher jumped farther than 24 feet four times. That included his aforementioned 24-10 jump that took place as a junior at the Perkins Invitational. He had jumps of 24-1.25 at the Oak Harbor Rocket Relays and 24-5 at the Pirate Relays as a senior, then he won the state title at 24-feet even to become Sandusky's first track & field state champion since Dailyn Moore won the 110-meter hurdles in 2009.During the state finals, Fisher had jumps of 22-8, then 23-3.5 and 23-4.75 in his flight to put the pressure on the competition early. Cincinnati Northwest's Malik Beverly, who had a 24-1 seed distance, was a distant second to Fisher, only being able to muster a 23-0.25."Track can be a frustrating sport," Fisher said. "I always knew I had the capabilities to go big, but it's been tough for me to put it all together at the collegiate level."As a freshman, Fisher suffered a bad hamstring strain."That was my first time having a serious injury," he said.Last year, it was health-related issues."I had an iron deficiency and had to start taking iron pills for that," Fisher said. "During the indoor season, I strained my groin and missed most of that season. Then all types of nagging injuries that most athletes deal with like ankle sprains, shin splints and tendinitis popped up."Before Saturday, Fisher only hit a mark of 24 feet or further three times in his OSU career. His new personal-best college jump ranks him in top 50 in the country, according to MileSplit. He jumped 23-4 in his other outdoor event this spring, finishing 12th at the Florida Relays in Gainesville in late March.Fisher was 14th at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships at Michigan, recording a top leap of 22-5."This is definitely a confidence booster," Fisher said. "It's easy to lose your confidence in a sport like track. I'm starting to put things together in practice, and hopefully I can keep improving heading into the rest of the season."Fouls continue to plague Fisher's career. At Sandusky, plenty a big jumps went unrecorded due to fouls on the board, much like the one that got away Saturday."Everything is way more technical than when I was in high school," he said. "It's hard to adjust and perfect techniques you aren't familiar with when you've been jumping one way for years."Fisher's former Sandusky classmate and current OSU teammate Chance Ehrnsberger was third at the Virginia Challenge in the shot put at 57-6.5. His top performance this season came in a runner-up finish at LSU's Battle on the Bayou where he had a top toss of 59-1.25 on April 6.Ehrnsberger finished ninth at last year's Big Ten Championships in the discus, throwing 182-9. He was third in both the discus and shot put at state for the Blue Streaks as a senior.Ohio State's Davion Fisher, a 2016 Sandusky graduate, shattered his career-best mark in the long jump Saturday, leaping 7.56 meters (24 feet, 9 3/4 inches) to take second place for the Buckeyes at the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Va.