Throwback Thursday: Nate Patterson Skies Over 7-4 In The HJ

Jun 01, 2023

* At the 2018 IHSAA State Track and Field Championships, Nathan Patterson cleared 7-4 in the high jump

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The year of 2018 was a special for Nathan Patterson as he cleared over 6-8 in the high jump in every competition.

During his senior season at Plymouth (IN), he competed at the IHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a clear vision in mind.

"I came into high jump and I told myself, 'I'm not losing this today,'" Patterson told MileSplit five years ago. "I'm going to break this state meet record that I've had my eyes on for the last two years. I came into this meet really hungry for it."

As a result, the defending champion put together the best jump in his career. In his earlier clearances, he tied the previous record of 7-0 set by Jonathon Christensen of Southmont in 2011.

Without hesitation, Patterson raised the bar two inches.

"I was confident in my abilities to jump 7-2," Patterson said. "7-2 is a really easy height for me to clear this season, even last season. I knew going for 7-2, I would be good with it."

The jumping competition didn't end there. Patterson went for 7-4 and was able to clear it to set an Indiana all-time mark.

"I might as well set this record so it won't be broken for a while," Patterson told MileSplit.

Patterson's performance was also ranked US No. 1 in 2018. During the spring season, there were 18 high school boys in the US who reached 7-0 or higher.

BOYS HIGH JUMP FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	WIND	H#
1	Nathan Patterson	12	Plymouth High School	7-04.00		1
2	Lawrence Mitchell	11	Pike High School	6-10.00		1
3	Eli Pancol	11	Pendleton Heights High School	6-08.00		1
4	Matthew Jenkins	12	Mitchell High School	6-07.00		1
5	Simon Graber Miller	12	Bethany Christian High School	6-07.00		1
6	Isaac Brown	12	Dekalb High School	6-07.00		1
7	Logan Benson	11	Western Boone High School	6-06.00		1
8	Keshawn Mcgill	12	Michigan City High School	6-06.00		1