Orange’s Mitchell Krasco showed this past weekend he can compete with the best in New England. 

Now, he’s out to prove he’s one of the best triple jumpers in the country. 

Krasco — who graduated from Mahar Regional School earlier this spring — has had a stellar season on the track to close out his Senator career. He opened the postseason slate with a first place finish in the triple jump at the Western Mass. Div. 2 meet, and followed it up by winning the Div. 6 state title in the event at Tufts University, hitting a personal best of 47 feet, 6½ inches. 

The senior wasn’t happy with his performance at the MIAA Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State, where he placed sixth with a leap of 46-2. He followed up in a big way at the New England Interscholastic Championship in New Britain, Connecticut this past weekend, hitting a similar jump of 46-2½ but this time, that length earned him a second place finish. 

“It was great,” Krasco said. “Second place overall felt really good, especially coming off of getting sixth at [the MOC] which was a bummer for me. I went into New Englands wanting redemption and got it.” 

Krasco’s jump at the state championship last month qualified him for the New Balance Nationals, which had a qualifying standard of 46-11 for the boys triple jump. Krasco will be making the trip to Philadelphia to compete against the best in the country, with the triple jump getting underway at 2 p.m. on Saturday at historic Franklin Field, home to the University of Pennsylvania. 

It’s the second time Krasco is competing at Nationals, as he qualified in triple jump during the winter season and competed at New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston in March. He hit a top mark of 42-0 there. 

“I’m very excited to get down there,” Krasco said. “Competing at indoor nationals was a great feeling and now I have experience with it. I didn’t compete as well as I wanted to at indoor so I’m hoping to compete a lot better on Saturday at outdoor.”

Krasco will be competing as one of 44 athletes in the triple jump. Athletes in the event are coming from places like Georgia, Arizona, Colorado and everywhere in between. 

New Balance does not release performance lists, meaning Krasco is in the dark on where the other 43 competitors stand with their best jumps. That has forced him focus on his own performance, as he wants to go out there and give it his all. 

“I really want to hit 47 feet again,” Krasco said. “I don’t want that to be a one time thing. My main focus this week has been resting my ankle after hurting it so I can compete at my full potential.” 

Krasco has been a star on the track throughout his tenure with the Sens. He had been a strong performer in the triple jump throughout, taking sixth in the event at the Div. 6 state championship last spring but took his game to a whole new level this year to become one of the best in New England in the event.

For him, it was focusing on one aspect of his triple jump that gave him trouble before. Now that he has it down, his numbers have skyrocketed. 

“The biggest difference from last year to this year is the second phase of the triple jump,” Krasco said. “I’ve worked really hard at it because it was my biggest weakness last year. Now it’s probably my biggest strength and is how I was able to get 47 feet.”

Saturday won’t be the last time Krasco is competing on the track. He will be a participant in the Bay State Games in July before competing in the Junior Olympics later this summer.

Krasco will then be taking his talents to Springfield College, where he will keep working on the triple jump with the Pride. 

“It is a weird feeling not competing for Mahar anymore but at the same time, it’s not every year,” Krasco said. “I’m looking forward to Bay State and the Junior Olympics and I’m really looking forward to getting started at Springfield.”

Fans can livestream the New Balance Nationals online (nbnationalsout.com).