Witt ties for 18th in first trip to Drake

DES MOINES — Clarke senior Gordon Witt never qualified for the Co-ed State Track Meet or for the Drake Relays previously in his career.

So the April 24 Drake Relays high school boys high jump competition marked his first appearance inside Drake Stadium.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been up here and I’m pretty excited about it,” Witt said. “I’ve never had to do something like this before, so it was nice.”

Witt finished tied 18th in the field of 29 competitors in the high jump, clearing 6-3. West Burlington Notre Dame seniro Jeff Giannettino won with a clearance of 7-1, and took three attempts at what would have been a new Drake Relays record height of 7-3.75.

Witt entered the Drake Relays with a best clearance of 6-4, which he had done at both ADM on April 7 and at Chariton on April 14.

The Drake Relays provided Witt with an entirely new experience, however.

“Definitely nerve-wracking,” he said. “I come up here, everything is bigger, it’s more formal up here. They have a lot more rules than we do at a high school meet, so it was different for me.”

Witt said his biggest goal for the Drake Relays was just to make opening height, which was 6-1.

“My goal for today was just to clear opening height, so I didn’t go home with nothing,” he said. “I was clearing 6-3, that’s definitely a big thing for me. In a prestigious event, it’s seomthing I’ve always wanted to do.”

Having opening height at 6-1 was a big change for Witt, who said he is used to opening at 5-6.

“In a normal high school meet, I come in at 5-6,” he said. “So from 5-6 to 6-1 opening height, that’s a pretty big difference for me. So I was pretty nervous about that. The first jump, it didn’t go too well because I lost all my form. I think that one got all the nerves out of my body, that way I could focus on what I needed to work on to do better with my next jump.”

Witt missed his first attempt at 6-1, but cleared easily on his second attempt. It took him all three of his attempts to clear 6-3, but he accomplished that feat.

The Clarke senior took three solid attempts at 6-5, seemingly over the bar on each attempt, but clipped the bar on his way down each time, bowing out of the competition.

“I felt really good about it, and then when we raised it up to the 6-5 mark, that’s where I get the nerves,” Witt said. “It’s just another obstacle for me, as is 6-0 to somebody else. My coach was saying I was doing good, just everything when I get to 6-5, my form kind of slows down, because I’m overthinking it too much. I think throughout the year, I’ll be able to get better at that.”

Clarke assistant coach Julieann Barr, who coached Witt from the Drake Stadium infield, said she believes can clear 6-5.

“I think he’s ready for 6-5, and we know he wants it really bad,” she said. “He has a hunger for it. So I think it’s just a matter of him putting his mind to it that he’s already cleared it and he’ll have it. Because right now, he hasn’t cleared it yet, and I think it’s a challenge for him.”

But Barr doesn’t think Witt is limited to just 6-5.

“Honestly, I think he could clear 6-6 or 6-8 this year,” Barr said. “He’s that good and he’s developed so strong. It’s just a matter of him getting over his mental block and getting through it, because once he does that, he’s got the 6-6, 6-8 I think he can do.”

As for Witt, last week’s experience at the Drake Relays is a big confidence boost for him as he heads into the final month of the season leading up to the Co-ed State Track Meet in May at Drake Stadium.

“Definitely gives me confidence, because to compete with guys like this that are jumping 7-0 in high school meets,” Witt said. “It’s definitely fun to jump with somebody that I can keep up with.”