Marquis Dendy ready to take outdoor flight

Marquis Dendy was destined to be a national-class performer in track because he has an outstanding family heritage, but during his years in seventh and eighth grade he almost gave up the sport before he reached greatness.

"I went through a phase when it was kind of boring and I didn't want to run track," Dendy told MaxPreps. "It was never-ending and I never had any other type of outlet."

His father, Mark Dendy, once a three-sport athlete who specialized in the long jump, explained, "(It was) the pains of losing. It's hard to be dedicated to something and not be on the (victory) podium. Right before high school he took his biggest beatings. He was going through growth spurts."

The turning point for Marquis was making the National Scholastic Sports Foundation team.



"Travel made it more exciting," he said.

Since then his talent has taken him on many trips and as he closes out his senior year at Middletown (Del.) he is strongly in the hunt for national indoor and outdoor records in the triple jump. He also feels he has a shot at national long jump records.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder has a personal record indoors of 52 feet, 1½ inch in the triple jump. The record is 52-7½ inches. Outdoors, his best is 52-7¼. The record is 54-10¼. The national long jump records are 26-9¼ indoors and 26-10 outdoors. His best is 25-9½ which he accomplished in the indoor season.

"The national record (in the triple jump) is a very, very big goal that I am trying to crush," Dendy conceded. "It would look really good toward voting for Athlete of the Year."

Track & Fields News record keeper Jack Shepard told MaxPreps in February, "Based upon last year outdoors and his one big jump this year, he appears ready to break the indoor record (in the triple jump). The outdoor record is probably out of reach."

Marquis didn't break either indoor mark (he did finish as the national indoor leader in both events) which makes him even more determined as the outdoor season, which hits full flight this week.



He got his first taste of track at age 8. Two years later he added peewee football and basketball. By then his athletic path was being mapped out.

"We're an all-work, no-play type of family," Mark conceded. "We (he and his wife, Dionne, who set seven sprint records at the University of Delaware) sat down very early on and set career paths. I said track would be his best fit."

At first, his summer coach had him specialize in the sprints. Mark disagreed.

"I told the coach, 'I just think my son can jump because he is long.' He ended up going to the nationals in Oregon the first time he began jumping. I am absolutely amazed. It's so incredible, because he has come so far in a short period of time."

When Marquis reached Middletown High as a freshman, track coach Bill Dubois knew he had a talent, but he saw him more as a 200- or 400-meter runner than a jumper.

"He was raggedy as a jumper," Dubois said. "His technique had some inconsistencies with his approach. He fell off to his left and didn't jump very far as a freshman. His sophomore year he improved a great deal. He's a year-round track and field guy. He grew, matured, got older and stronger – kind of like Bambi."



Marquis won the Division I state triple jump and long jump outdoor titles as a sophomore and began to soar nationally that summer.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}Having his greatest success in the triple jump, he placed first (46-1/4) during the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in Puerto Rico. He finished second at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., with a personal record of 49-7 ¾. During the AAU Junior Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, he surpassed 50 feet for the first time, soaring 50-6 ¼ to place second against a field up to age 19.

As a junior, Marquis won the long jump with a personal record (24-1/4) and also won the triple (47-2 ¼) during the Mid Atlantic Classic indoor meet even though he still was spending much of his time as a starter on the basketball team.

He strained his hamstring at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston, and still was rehabbing when he took a shot at the Penn Relays in the spring. All he did was leap 50 feet, 10¾ inches on his final attempt to win the triple jump crown.

"I won by a couple inches," he recalled. "After that, I went back into rehab."

Marquis then dominated the Delaware outdoor state meet by winning the 100 (10.73), the triple jump (50-1) and the long jump (24-5¼). He won the triple (52-7¼) and placed second in the long jump (24-2½) during the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.



After placing second during the USATF Junior Nationals in Des Moines, he qualified for the World Junior Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where he placed eighth with a leap of 51 feet, 5 ¾ inches.
During the AAU Nationals in Norfolk, Va., he won the triple (51-5 ¾) and was runner-up in the long jump (23-9 ¾).

Not playing basketball for the first time as a senior, Marquis has been battling achy knees and shin splints. He found out he is still growing and could add an inch to 6-4. Still, he opened the indoor season with a first-place in the long jump (24-0), second in the triple (46-1/2) and eighth in the 55 (6.61) during the Bishop Loughlin Games in New York City.

Recently, he received the biggest thrill – thus far – of his budding career. He was named to the USA team which traveled to Osaka, Japan, to compete in a meet against the hosts and Germany.

"I was really ecstatic. I kind of didn't believe it at first. I knew how to say hello and thank you," he said of his knowledge of the Japanese language.

Following a 20-hour plane trip, Marquis got down to business and not only won his only event – the long jump – with a personal-record leap of 24-9 (on his first jump), but he also was named boys MVP. After the meet, he did some sightseeing and drank some "lucky water" from a fresh mountain spring. He also picked up a long-time Japanese custom – bowing instead of shaking hands.

"When I came back to school I had to bow for a couple days to get it out of my system," he said.



Meanwhile, he is still battling some swelling in his knees.

"I'm still sore," he admitted. "I just sit in the (whirlpool) jets every day and get myself prepared for the next meet."

Although he would have a better shot at a record if he specialized, Marquis insists on doing the long and triple jump throughout the spring. He has an interesting take on why he chose jumps over sprinting.

"Running is glorified," he believes. "I know I can make things exciting by jumping. Sprinters aren't so nice to each other and there's always a lot of controversy. With jumpers, there is less of it. Most jumpers are more cool with each other. It's a better environment. We all give each other pointers – even rivals."

The jumper he follows the most is Teddy Tamgho of France, who holds the world indoor triple jump record of 58-7.
 
Marquis has a 3.1 GPA and is an excellent artist who enjoys drawing pictures of still life, such as roses. He recently chose the University of Florida – which returns three outstanding jumpers - as his college destination. He plans to major in computer software engineering.

Beyond college, Marquis has an eye on the Olympic Games and his ultimate goal – professional track.



"I know he has aspirations of going to the Olympics and that is well within his reach," Dubois acknowledged. "He'll probably be just a triple jumper in college, although if he just focused on the long jump he could have equal success.

"He has yet to do what I consider any real weight training, or a whole season of intense jump training. He needs some core strength. He's going to get faster and stronger. When he goes to Florida he will have a jump coach and an assistant jump coach."

Marquis, who agrees with his coach, says, "I have to keep putting on 2 to 3 feet each year. I did that my sophomore and junior year. If I continue, I can be around 56 or 57 feet.

"I have to do a lot of weightlifting and mainly focus on being clean cut. I have to keep everything crisp. My form comes with being strong. I'm working on my core and being strong. I'm still running on raw talent. Even if I'm not crisp and clean in high school, once I go to Florida I will be."