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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

U-High junior jumps to top of list of state-best marks

Steve Christilaw

Noah Martin had himself a day to remember.

The University High junior literally leaped to the top of the list of state-best marks in a pair of events in a three-way track and field meet with Central Valley and Gonzaga Prep at U-Hi last week. The 6-foot-5 Martin cleared 6-10 in the high jump and pole vaulted 15 feet – both personal records by an astonishing margin.

“My goals for the season were to clear 6-6 in the high jump and 14 feet in the pole vault,” Martin said, wearing a broad smile. “I’ve set new goals.”

In the world of high school track and field, approaching 7 feet in the high jump and 15 in the pole vault garners a lot of attention – especially from college track and field coaches.

After Thursday’s meet, Martin has college coaches scrambling to get him on speed dial.

“I think my body is maturing,” he said. “I think that’s the big difference.”

Coming into the season, Martin had a personal best of 6 feet in the high jump and 13-0 in the pole vault. Both were good marks for a high school sophomore.

Martin started this season by equaling his personal best in the pole vault at the Richland Jamboree and improved on it a week later at the Howard Dolphin Invitational at West Valley by clearing 13-6.

In the high jump he equaled his personal best in the season-opener in the Tri-Cities and upped it by 6 inches at West Valley.

“It’s a big deal for a high jumper to clear his own height,” Martin said. “It’s kind of a psychological thing. Once you clear that, it gets easier.”

Clearing 15 feet in the pole vault last week represented an 18-inch improvement. Only Richland’s Larry Still has vaulted higher in the state at the Class 4A level, clearing 15-6.

At 6-10 in the high jump, Martin is tied with Skyview’s Peyton Fredrickson for the state Class 4A standard.

And he almost went higher.

“After I cleared 6-10, I moved the bar up to 7 feet and I got over it, but I dragged my back side on the bar on the way down,” he said. “For me in the high jump, the key is to maintain the arch in my back on the way over the bar. If I can do that, I can go higher.

“My history is that I up my personal best, I do it by about 2 inches, and I feel really good that I can (get over 7 feet) this week.”

Martin is shaking off his weekend performance at the Pasco Invitational, where he failed to post a height in the high jump and placed eighth in the pole vault at 14 feet.

“I got over the bar on my last attempt, but I caught the bar with my feet on the way down,” Martin said. “I just have to forget about it and move on.”

The junior already is in the rarified air set by Titan high jumpers of the past. At 6-10 he equaled the mark set by Eddie Gonzalez just two years ago to win the second of his two state Class 3A titles. The school record was set 38 years ago by Jeff Barrett, who cleared 7-1/4.

But in the high jump, clearing 15 feet in the pole vault sounds good, but is far from record book material. Former world champion Brad Walker, who holds the United States record with a vault of 19-93/4, cleared 16-feet as a U-Hi senior, but even that mark falls far short of the school record of 17-1, set by Tyson Byers, who won a state Class 4A title by clearing 17-0.

School records are fine, but Martin said he keeps his focus on his day-to-day work – both physically and mentally.

“I probably spend half of my time when I’m awake thinking about jumping,” he said. “It’s an obsession. I’m going to do everything I can to get better.”