First-year high jumper Nolan Johnston breaks Matt Nover’s Chesterton school record, clears 6-foot-10-1/4 Saturday at Garry Nallenweg Relays

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

On the sort of cold and gray day that distance runners love, sprinters and jumpers not so much, Chesterton senior Nolan Johnston did something first-year high school high jumpers simply don’t do. He cleared 6-foot-10-1/4 Saturday at the Garry Nallenweg Chesterton Relays.
In doing so on another banner day for Chesterton track, Johnston nudged Matt Nover, one of the most famous athletes in the town’s history, out of the track and field record book. Nover had jumped 7 feet but because of the indoor venue at which he did it, it was not considered official. Nover’s outdoor record of 6-10 had stood since 1987.
A year ago, AJ Brandon, Johnston’s classmate, friend and former JV basketball teammate, showed how quickly a talented novice high jumper can ascend if he dedicates himself to learning the subtleties of the craft. Brandon cleared 6-6 at the regional as a first-year jumper and then topped himself with a 6-8 at an indoor meet at Portage. Johnston jumped 6-4 indoors and 6-6 on opening day of the spring season in a home dual meet with Valparaiso.
Johnston and Brandon both entered the competition at 6-2 and cleared that height.
“I was feeling good, so I went straight to 6-6,” Johnston said. “Then I cleared 6-6 first try. I saw the video and I was floating over it pretty high, so I decided to go to 6-8, and then after 6-8, my coaches and my friends came up to me and said I should just go straight for the record. That was very smart advice.”
For this meet, the number of attempts was capped at six and Johnston had two jumps remaining.
“I felt pretty good on my first 6-11 jump and one the second one I tripped and ran through under the bar,” he said.
In a poignant moment that linked generations of record-breakers, Garry Nallenweg, Chesterton’s retired athletic director who still helps to run the school’s track meets and whose son Bryan is the head boys track coach, walked over to the high jump pit and introduced himself to Johnston.
“I just wanted to come over and congratulate you,” the Chesterton Hall of Famer told Johnston. “I was Matt Nover’s high school coach, and I was your dad’s high school coach. I tried to get your dad out for track for four years. His senior year he comes out for track and wins three sectionals.”
In 1989, his lone year on the track and field team, Jay Johnston was sectional champion in the 100 meters and 200 meters and ran a leg of the 4x100 relay that held the school record for decades.
“Like father, like son,” Nolan said with a smile.
He said he didn’t know much about Nover, other than that he held the high jump record and played basketball at Indiana University, and added, “I think my dad played basketball with him, back in the day. I think.”
He was not aware that Nover became a revered figure playing basketball professionally in Portugal and gained citizenship there before meeting his wife, Claudia, there.
He said he never had heard of the 1994 movie “Blue Chips,” and therefore was not aware that Nover co-starred in it with Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
“That’s insane,” Johnston said. “That’s cool.”
After clearing 6-6 in the Valpo meet, Johnston said his next goal was to get 6-8 “because I came close to hitting it today.”
And then on Friday at practice, the day before the relays, he cleared 6-8, although it didn’t count because it came in practice.
“Yesterday definitely boosted my confidence, almost getting 6-10 and getting 6-8 definitely helped for today,” Johnston said. “That was a really good pre-meet (workout).”
Before getting the record himself, Johnston said he was gunning for it and that Brandon also was capable of beating him to it.
“If he has the right mindset, he could at least clear 6-10 easily,” Johnston said. “He has almost hit it practicing.”
Now, of course, 6-10 is not the mark either will attempt, unless it has relevance in a meet. The bar has been raised to 6-10-1/2 for both jumpers.
Brandon’s quick climb showed high jump coach Phil Long what was possible with his second high jump prodigy in as many years.
“Most guys you see it right off the bat,” Long said. “I saw all the pop AJ had in Nolan, even more.”
Johnston said watching videos of Olympic jumpers ¬– “I don’t have a clue what their names are” – hastened his rise. He added that the key came when he “learned how to do a backflip and that actually helped my head a lot because before I got my head back, my form wasn’t that good, and then I started doing that and it all clicked for me.”
It's all happened so fast.
“At the beginning of the (indoor) season I didn’t even know if I’d get 6-2, but now here we are,” Johnston said.
For the moment, “here” is 6-10-1/4. For the moment.
Johnston’s feat was the headliner at the meet for the host school, which accomplished several other impressive marks.
Keep checking onwardtrojans.com in the coming days for more from the Garry Nallenweg Relays, including stories on Aaron Resto, Nate Vaughan, Louis Raffin and Cal Wisniewski setting the meet record in the 4x400 with a 3:23.21; Aubrey Bamber, off to a strong start, devoting all of her athletic attention to running the 400 meters and long jumping; Kieran Barnewall, Gretta McCrovitz, Resto and Bamber qualifying for the mixed 4x400 national meet in Philadelphia in June with a 3:23.77; Owen Edlen inching closer to the school record in the discus by flinging the metal frisbee 163 feet, 4 inches; Lux Mountford blasting into the spring season with standout hurdles performances; Veronica Wilgocki discussing the first mile race of her high school career and the outlook for the team.
The Trojans return to action Tuesday. The boys are at home for senior night vs. Lake Central and Michigan City. The girls travel to Lake Central to face the same two schools.