LAKEWOOD — Skylar Angelidis knew the situation before her final jump and said to herself, “I have to get this.”

The special athletes find a way when they “have to.” The Palmer sophomore — a soccer star and now a state champion in the triple jump despite a sprained ankle — belongs in that category.

Angelidis’ final mark of 38 feet, 6.25 inches was not only the best jump of her life, but it vaulted her out of third place and gave her the state title by a margin of half an inch over Roosevelt’s Jamaya Johnson.

She stood next to the officials as they measured the final jump, then jumped for joy when she realized what it all meant.

“The last jump felt so good, felt so smooth, and I knew,” Angelidis said. “I was like, ‘This has got to be it.’”

This is the same athlete who scored 27 goals in 13 games for the Terrors this spring before that ankle injury limited her over the final three games — a stretch that saw Palmer, which had been 8-2-1, finish 0-2-1 and fall out of playoff contention.

Her impact on the soccer program can’t be overstated. The Terrors were 12-31-2 in three seasons before she arrived. She then scored 24 goals as a freshman and helped the team to a 9-2-4 record, and this year was on a special trajectory before the injury.

That same injury threatened to derail her track season.

Angelidis was able to practice only one time in the two weeks leading up to Thursday.

“I was so nervous about that,” she said. “But it worked out.”

Much as in soccer, Angelidis is part of a revitalized track and field program at Palmer that has seven competitors here at Jeffco Stadium this week.

“It’s so fun. I love my high school coaches for soccer and track,” Angelidis said. “They push me so much and I’m so grateful that they’re willing and able to help me in doing both. I’m just really grateful that I got to be here today and then also compete in soccer for Palmer.”