Indians' Niekamp third at state meet (06/07/03)

DAYTON, Ohio — Plenty of football and basketball remain in the future for Tyler Niekamp. But he likely entered the final track and field competition of his career Friday and left himself with a day to remember.

The Fort Recovery senior finished third in the high jump in Division III at the 96th Annual OHSAA boys track and field state tournament with a leap of six feet, five inches at the University of Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.

Niekamp said he had hoped to get a couple more inches out of his final high school meet, but was thrilled with the third-place finish. He shattered the Indians’ school record this season with a jump of six feet, eight and one-quarter inches at the Mercer County meet.

“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get higher,” said Niekamp, who will play football and basketball at Findlay University next year. “But you can’t really be mad about third at state. It was a great day to jump. It was just fun.”

“Tyler is very consistent,” added Fort Recovery assistant track coach Jackie Kaup. “I knew coming into the meet what to expect of him. I knew he had to be clean to get on the podium.”

Niekamp looked great in the warm-up jumps at 5 feet, eight inches, and got off to an excellent start. He easily cleared the bar at on his first three jumps, taking him to 6 feet, four inches.

He missed on his first try at that level, but cleared easily on his second try. He did the same at 6 feet, five inches, leaving him as one of five jumpers still in the competition.

Niekamp looked to have the next height cleared on his first try, but just nicked the bar to send it to the ground. He was a bit off on his second attempt, but recovered on his third, again just barely sending the bar to the red rubber track surface to end his day.

“I thought I was going to get over,” said Niekamp. “I was really close on my first try. I messed up my second try, but the third one I didn’t feel I hit the bar at all.”

Of the four athletes to leap at six feet, six inches, Chad Clemons of Lakeside Danbury was the only one to clear the bar. That left Niekamp in third place after a tie-breaker, with two-time defending state champion Jason Jackson of Defiance Ayersville still left to jump.

Jackson was the prohibitive favorite in the event, coming in with a regional height of six feet, 11 inches. Therefore, after clearing at six-foot-four, he passed all the way to six-foot-eight.

It turned out to be a bad choice.

Jackson missed all three tries at that level, dropping him to fourth place behind Niekamp. Clemons took the win, and Thomas Hannan of Chesapeake was second.

“I wanted (Jackson) to do well,” said Niekamp, who had encouraged his many fans to cheer on his opposition, despite how Jackson might effect his final position. “It’s kind of a weird feeling because you don’t wish him to do bad.”

It was that attitude more than anything which impressed Fort Recovery track coach Mark Fenik.

“(He’s an) outstanding individual,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about sportsmanship and winning the right way. That’s what makes it fun.

“The only regret I have is I wish Tyler was a junior.”

It’s hard to imagine what Niekamp might do with another season, considering the mammoth strides he made this year.

The senior wasn’t even on the map as a state contender after last season when his best jump was six feet even. His best jump early this year was six feet, two inches, but then the light kicked on.

Niekamp broke the school record for the first time this year with a jump of six feet, four inches in a meet against Franklin Monroe and Fairlawn. Then he shattered his own mark and recorded a new Mercer County meet record by clearing at six feet, eight and one-quarter inches in early May.

He went on to win the Midwest Athletic Conference high jump title, and took second in the district and regional meets.

Niekamp credited Kaup — who competed in track and field while at Ohio Northern University — with his meteoric rise.

“Jackie started volunteering, helping me out at practice,” he said. “She started measuring my steps and critiquing my form. She helped out a ton. I’m sure I couldn’t have gotten here if she hadn’t helped me.”

“We just went over the basics,” Kaup said. “We got him some consistency, worked on form jumps, and basically just improved on the basics.”

And, basically just turned in an outstanding finish to a phenomenal season.[[In-content Ad]]