Dexter leaps to the top spot.(Sports)

Byline: FELLICIA SMITH Staff Writer

BURNT HILLS - It's not hard to high jump, but it is hard to do it well.

Brittany Dexter learned that the hard way.

The Burnt Hills junior went from jumping 3-foot-6 as a seventh-grader to 4-10 the next season. She was leaping her way to the top until she began losing ground and stalled at 4-6.

"I was so frustrated," Dexter recalled. "At that point and time is when most people are done. I was like, `I've got to stick with it. You can't give it up.' Once I got past that, I was happy I chose to stay."

Now Dexter is the state's top-ranked high jumper.

She is one of many top-ranked athletes …