Jacob Hyatt wins WSL high jump championship

Sophomore Jacob Hyatt first started doing high jump in the fourth grade when he was a student at Maple Creek Elementary and continued to jump at Kastner Intermediate School. After coming to Fresno Christian freshman year, Hyatt has proved to be one of the most successful high jumpers in campus memory.

The reason Jacob Hyatt joined track and field in the first place was because of his friends. He wanted to do something to bond with his friends.

“I first started to do track because my friends were doing it and my dad used to do it in high school.” Hyatt said. “What I enjoy most about high jump is performing well and winning. I have gotten first place in high jump for the past 14 meets in a row.”

The most challenging part of high jump for Jacob Hyatt is being able to find a place to practice.

“The most challenging thing about high jump is staying consistent,” Jacob Hyatt continues. “FCS does not have a track field and a high jump set up. It is hard to improve because we don’t have a coach that emphasizes on jumping. Despite all that, my goals for this year are to jump 6’4 in high jump.”

 

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Sophomore Jacob Hyatt ties the Fresno Christian high jump record of 6 feet 2 inches at the Golden Bear Invitational at Hanford High School, April 12. This record is a personal best for Hyatt and has been untouched since 2006 when it was set by Wes Wells. Way to go Jacob! ?? (Video shows two perspectives of his jump) #FCtrack #thefeather @fresnochristianschools @abc30_actionnews @centralvalleytoday @thefresnobee #abc30insider

A post shared by The Feather (@thefeatheronline) on Apr 12, 2019 at 5:28pm PDT

Jacob Hyatt’s father Robert Hyatt has enjoyed watching Jacob continue to improve in high jump since he first started. Robert Hyatt is always impressed by Jacob’s grit.

“I enjoying watching Jacob achieve new heights on the high jump and continue to try and improve from the previous jumps or even the previous track meet,” Hyatt said. “His ability to adjust after a missed attempt continues to impress me. He just doesn’t quit. He remains coachable even though he is an elite athlete in his sport.”

One of Robert Hyatt’s favorite memory was watching his son’s first track meet at Fresno Christian.

“My favorite memory had to be his first track meet jumping for Fresno Christian,” Robert Hyatt said. “He was jumping against older and more trained jumpers and earned a second place. I watched him continue to jump to new heights as other athletes continued to miss on their attempts. It was down to Jacob and an upperclassman from another school. They kept raising the bar until Jacob missed his attempt and the other student was victorious.

“I watched Jacob remain at the jumping area and watch as the other student continued to try and get higher jumps,” Robert continued. “It was this level of sportsmanship that impressed me about Jacob. Watching and cheering on the other student attempt heights that Jacob was not able to complete.”

Track and field coach Michael Fuller enjoys coaching Jacob Hyatt because of his willing personality.

“Jacob is very easy-going and has a good sense of humor,” Fuller said. “He contributes to an upbeat team atmosphere and helps his teammates maintain positive attitudes. Jacob is physically gifted and has the ability to motivate himself pretty well. He takes direction readily and is very coachable. Jacob has set his own goals for track. My role is to encourage him as he works toward those goals and provide direction in training and competition.”

Hyatt went on to win first place in the WSL League Championships in high jump.

Senior Bethany Pouliot and Hyatt will compete in the North Area meet to qualify for Section Championship at Madera High School, May 8.

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John Monke can be reached via email and Twitter.