MOBILE, Alabama — Foley High junior Julio Jones won the boys Challenge of Champions elite division long jump Saturday hosted by St. Paul's Episcopal School with a winning leap of 24 feet, two inches.

The jump was just one inch short of the meet record set in 1999 by Jonathan Brown of Union County, Ky.

Jones also took third in the triple jump with a 46-6.

Also qualifing for the elite division were Foley’s Gabby Hamby, 2006 Baldwin County high jump champion and teammate Shakira Williams who qualified Friday with a win in the girls long jump in the open division.

Williams’ first-place leap of 16-8 boosted her to the elite meet, but she was not notified in time to compete Saturday.

Also in the girls javelin, Angela McCord of Montrose finished third behind St. Paul's Meghan Austin in second and Cedar Creek, La, thrower Ashley Aldridge’s meet-record of 132-11. McCord, a graduate of Christ the King Catholic in Dapbne and a senior at McGill-Toolen Catholic, is the twice-defending Alabama state champion.

Other Baldwin County athletes who qualified for the elite division meet were Foley's Glen Odom who came in fifth in the boys javelin event at 159-3 and defending Baldwin County javelin champion Kyle Smith of Daphne who did not have his best day with a 155. The two will go head-to-head this Thursday at the Gulf Shores Sports Complex in the 2007 Baldwin County meet.

The site will also be the host site of the 2007 Alabama state track and field championships May 4-5.

Gulf Shores Athletic Director Duane Davis said his staff was ready and excited for another county meet and looking forward to the state meet as well.

"Since I have been at Gulf Shores, we have always enjoyed being able to have the county meet there,” he said. “It’s a great facility, everybody loves using it and we are really excited about having the state meet, too. I think every coach in 4A, 5A and 6A in Mobile and Baldwin counties and the surrounding counties in south Alabama should be ecstatic over having the meet hosted so close for a change.”

The state meet had been held at sites in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham in 2005 and 2006 and was held at Troy for several years before that.

Davis said he expects many county athletes to qualify and hopes that a large number of local supporters will be available to volunteer to help run the state meet.

“We want to encourage everyone who can to come out and help us. We;re really excited and we’re going to need a lot of volunteers, “ he said. “At Gulf Shores, we hope to have some kids qualify for state, Foley always has a good program as do all the other Baldwin County schools. We have already had some meetings with coach Chuck) Anderson and others about the meet. It’s really amazing how many people you need — not just volunteers, but city workers and others too. We think it will be a great thing for the whole county and maybe we can get some more big events to be held down here, too.”