At first glance, Joe Swon may not look like a typical jumper. But looks can be deceiving.

Swon, a senior track and field standout at Riverside Brookfield, showed he belonged on the big stage with the other top Class 2A jumpers last weekend at the IHSA state finals in Charleston.

In the first year of the three-class system, Swon made some history for the school with an all-state finish in the long jump — the first all-state medalist for the Bulldogs since 2000. He also advanced to the finals of the triple jump and competed in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

“I was so nervous,” Swon said of preliminary jitters in the long jump. “I was looking at all the guys who were taller than me and bigger than me and I was a little intimidated. But once I got that first jump under my belt I felt a lot better.”

Swon said he struggled in a few meets prior to the postseason, but started to pick it back up at sectionals and carried it into state. On his second preliminary long jump, Swon leapt 21 feet, 3/4 inches, a mark that stood up to be eighth, and he maintained his all-state position after three jumps in Saturday’s finals.

“This is just a great honor,” said Swon, who is the third all-state long jumper at R-B. “I never dreamed of making it to state, and then to make it to the finals is awesome. The coaches have been behind me and my teammates have been supportive. It’s a dream come true to be at this point.”

Making it to the finals of the triple jump seemed to be out of Swon’s reach. Until his final attempt, that is.

Swon popped off a distance of 43 7-1/4 — more than a foot farther than his sectional mark — in his sixth and final jump. That effort won his flight and was good enough to make it to the finals.

The improvement continued on Saturday as Swon pulled off a jump of 44-8, which placed him 11th overall. Swon also competed in the 300 hurdles and finished 22nd in the preliminaries (42.24).

Senior Will Lusthoff was another R-B representative at state. He was fifth in his preliminary heat of the 400 dash and took 21st overall in 51.8.