3 Kansas high school products shine in collegiate track and field conference championships

Say hey to Devin the dominator, master Matthew and the Sterling stud. Together they raised the bar for high jumpers across the Midwest at NCAA conference track and field championships.

All three jumping jack-in-the-box aficionados hail from Kansas small towns.

Devin Loudermilk is a West Elk Patriot graduate from Howard in southeast Kansas. He is now at Kansas and leaped his way to the Big 12 Conference Indoor Track individual title in Austin, Texas last week.

Nebraska’s Tyus Wilson, a Sterling High School product from central Kansas, soared to winning heights to win his gold medal in the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Geneva, Ohio.

The Pride of Burlingame High, Matthew Heckman of Washburn, secured a personal best and second-place finish at the MIAA Indoor Championships hosted by the Ichabods.

“It’s cool seeing other guys like that doing amazing things, especially coming from smaller towns,” Heckman said. “It kinda gives me confidence knowing that if they can do it, I can also.”

“I think it’s great that three high jumpers from Kansas are showing out on the big stage,” Loudermilk said. “It really puts into perspective that it doesn’t matter how big of a town you come from, anyone can be successful if you put in the work.”

“We’ve all been gifted in different ways, so don’t shoot down your dream or someone else’s just because it’s unique or rare,” Wilson said.

Devin Loudermilk

Throughout the competition, the Kansas junior knew his first attempt clearances would put pressure on the competition.

“As I made 7-foot-5 first try, I still felt as though I needed more, but was very confident about getting the win because I had no prior misses,” said Loudermilk, the Big 12’s Men’s Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week two weeks ago.

As he approached the high jump pit on his winning jump, Loudermilk remained confident.

“I knew that it would put a lot of pressure on the Texas Tech jumper, but I never really felt like it was a winning jump just so I could stay in the moment and not take my foot off the brakes.”

Texas Tech’s Omamuyovwi Erhire finished second with a clearance of 7-3.75.

“It felt great because the year prior I had come in second and that was a feeling I never wanted to feel again,” Loudermilk said.

It marked Loudermilk’s third indoor title of the season as he previously won the Black and Gold Invitational in Ames, Iowa, and the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Jayhawk has cleared the 7-foot mark in every indoor meet this year. He will compete in the NCAA National Indoor Championships on March 8 and 9 in Boston, Massachusetts.

“I give the glory to God,” he said.

Matthew Heckman

Psalms 27: 1-2 and Psalms 23:4. One verse is inscribed on one of Heckman’s jumping shoes, and the other verse on his other shoe.

“I say the second verse in my head before every single jump,” Heckman said.

He certainly fears no evil when he sets sail towards the heavens and ascends over the high jump bar which was set at 6-11 3/4 at MIAA conference meet.

“It just felt very natural for the first time in a while,” said Heckman, who just nine months ago won the KSHSAA Class 1A high jump as a Burlingame Bearcat. “The men’s 5k was going on at the moment and it was near the end and everyone was cheering for the 5k because it was getting intense. I just imagined that they were all cheering for me and helped me boost my adrenaline.”

As he began his ascension, Heckman said everything just kind of went blank.

“I just jumped and then when I got over the bar I looked at it in disbelief,” the 6-foot-3, 170-pounder said. “When I got up I had noticed I hit the bar and I definitely thought it was gonna come down. When it stayed up there, I was visibly shocked but extremely excited also.”

Heckman’s confidence wasn’t as high a few weeks ago.

“I was still just trying to break my old high school habits and learn the right techniques,” he said. “It was frustrating, but each meet I’m constantly getting better.”

Now, he is preparing for the NCAA Division II National Indoor Championships at Pittsburg State on Mar. 8 and 9.

Tyus Wilson

The 6-foot-8, 190-pounder missed his first attempt at the Big 10 Championship, but the Sterling grad felt confident coming off the mat awaiting his second attempt.

“When I ran up for my second attempt, I knew I had given myself a chance. I took off and the rest is history,” the 2021 and 2021 no. 1-ranked  prep high jumper said.

Wilson was seen clutching his fists and doing his best Hulk Hogan impersonation after his 7-3 clearance.

“I opened up at 6-foot-10 or 2.09 meters and the bar progressed by 3cm until I went out at 2.24,” Wilson said. “The number two jump was by Kam Garrett from Illinois. He also jumped 7-3, but I had less misses until that height. I think that speaks to the urgency of staying clean throughout a high jump competition. Those early misses can come back to haunt you.”

As the Sterling stud stood on the podium, excitement raced through his veins in a moment when his school’s fight song played. His most memorable moment came with his Dad moments before he received his Gold medal on the podium.

“He really reminded me what this sport is truly about,” Wilson, who admitted some tears were surfacing, said. “He told me that neither the medal, the first place, nor the PR defines me as a person. He recited Ephesians 1:12 which says that we are to do everything, ‘To the praise of His (God's) glory.…..’ That is the best reminder of all.”

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How three Kansas native jumpers excelled in college conference finals