BOSTON – Ricardo Jaquite of Dorchester, a junior at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, recently completed a stellar season, winning the triple jump at the Nike High School National Track and Field Championships in Greensboro, NC. Ricardo’s jump of 49 feet 10 inches bested other top jumpers in the country, becoming Madison Park’s first national champion in school history.

Ricardo, a native of Portugal, started off the 2009 indoor track and field season winning two invitational meets at Boston University and finished the season with second place at the Nike High School Indoor Track and Field Championships. At the start of the outdoor season, he won the triple jump competition at the famed Penn Relays in Philadelphia, earning him the title of USA Track and Field New England “Athlete of the Month” in April. On his way to the national championship, Ricardo won the Boston City and Massachusetts Division I titles in the triple jump and 400 meter hurdles, all in record-breaking performances.

Madison Park’s track coach Colin Rose credits Ricardo’s work ethic for his success. “There are many student-athletes in Boston with talent,” he said. “What Ricardo has accomplished has taken complete focus and dedication every day of the season. He has never rested on his abilities. When you get to the national level, everybody is supremely talented. His championships are the fruit of his hard work.”

Ricardo is a student in the High Tech Academy at Madison Park, where he is pursuing his interest in interactive media.