Friday, March 16, 2012
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Jay Jakovina of Austintown Fitch High School goes into Saturday’s state indoor track meet in Akron with the best qualifying height in Ohio: 6-foot-10, which is four inches better than any other in Division I.
By Joe Scalzo
For Jay Jakovina, fewer sights led to higher heights.
A year after finishing 22nd in the high jump at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, the Fitch senior spent less time sightseeing and more time resting his legs last weekend in New York City.
That approach helped him place second in the event with a leap of 6 feet, 9 inches — six inches better than his height at last year’s national meet.
“There was a lot less pressure than last year,” Jakovina said. “This year, I knew I was going in there tied for third in the nation. I knew I could compete.”
His height tied winner Jonathan Addison of North Carolina but Jakovina was edged on jumps after needing three tries to clear 6-9. Addison cleared that height on his first attempt. Both missed all three tries at 6-101/2.
“My legs were pretty tired by then because I came in at the opening height [of 6-31/2],” said Jakovina, who cleared a career-best 6-10 a week earlier. “I wanted to play it safe. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”
Still, Jakovina enters Saturday’s state indoor meet at the University of Akron with the best qualifying height in Ohio by four inches.
Jakovina placed second in the event last year with a jump of 6-8.
“I’m hoping to get the meet record [of 6-10] and maybe go higher,” he said of this weekend. “Then, hopefully, we can go out and get first on our 4x400 relay team.”
After a strong indoor season last year, Jakovina finished fifth at the Division I outdoor regional with a leap of 6-7 — missing out on a trip to Columbus by one spot. He’s spent the past year in the weight room improving his leg strength and he wants to jump at least 7 feet by the end of the spring.
“I’ve gotten my back over it,” he said of the 7-foot pole, “so I know I can do it.”
Afterward, Jakovina will jump at Youngstown State University. He’s been training at the indoor WATTS twice a week this winter — “It’s so nice in there, so for that to be right down the road is great,” he said — and is looking forward to four more years there.
“They definitely gave me the best vibe out of all the colleges,” he said. “A lot of Fitch athletes have gone there and I know a lot of people and the coach seemed really excited to have me.
“It was a pretty easy decision.”