Drouin prepares for rematch in NCAA Championships

Derek Drouin last won the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the high jump in 2010 in Eugene, Ore.

Now, the IU senior returns to Hayward Field Thursday through Saturday for the first time since his only outdoor title with the goal of leaving a champion once again.

“It’d be nice to get that title in my last meet,” he said. “That’s definitely the goal.”

Drouin has a laundry list of accomplishments from his four years as a Hoosier.

He is a four-time NCAA high jump champion (three indoors), a seven-time Big Ten high jump champion and two time National Field Athlete of the Year, among other honors.
Monday, it was announced that he had been named the Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year for the seventh time during his career. He was eligible for the award eight times.

But he still has goals to achieve before he hangs up the IU uniform for good.

Despite breaking the Canadian high jump record with a 2.36-meter jump at the Prefontaine Classic last Saturday in Eugene, Drouin wants to reach even higher heights.

“I’ve been trying at that for a while, but obviously not too long,” Drouin said of the Canadian record. “I was glad I was able to get it pretty early in my career and hopefully I can add to it a couple more times. I definitely think I have more in me.”

He has the NCAA record of 2.38-meters on his mind, but he’s not the only one who will be vying for that mark this weekend.

Kansas State’s Erik Kynard won the outdoor championship in the event the last two years.

He and Drouin have matched up 13 times during their careers, with Drouin holding a slight 7-6 edge in the head-to-head battle. The two will renew the rivalry again this weekend with each coming in from winning their respective regionals.

Drouin said both practiced at 2.39-meters to get a feel for it last weekend.

“Hopefully it will be a last hurrah that one of us will be able to get that record before we leave,” Drouin said.

While 2.36-meters bettered his personal outdoor record 2.33-meters, Drouin said he feels confident he will do whatever it takes to beat his rival Kynard this weekend.

“If the win requires it, then I’m pretty confident I can rise to the occasion,” Drouin said.

While Kynard and Drouin are rivals, Drouin added that the two are friendly with each other and always talk at meets. He has appreciated having someone else to push him during his collegiate career. Kynard, the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and Drouin, the bronze medalist, are the first high jump medalists to return to the collegiate event since 1937.

“I think it’s been great for the sport,” Drouin said. “It brings a lot of attention to high jump. It’s not just me, which I’m very okay with because I don’t like a whole lot of attention. I think it’s good and it makes us more popular. It’s nice to have someone that I can be more competitive with all throughout my career.”

Drouin will be joined by 10 of his teammates who are also fighting for NCAA Championships over the weekend in Eugene.

Senior Andy Bayer will attempt to defend his title in the 1,500-meter that he won last year.

Senior high jumper Emma Kimoto, who has trained alongside Drouin for the past four years, will be looking for her first clearance over six feet (1.83-meters), and her first NCAA Championship after appearing at the event last year.

The Big Ten high jump champion said that having been at the event previously will help her this year.

“I’m definitely not as nervous as I was last year coming into it,” she said. “I feel like I know what it takes to be an All-American this time. I’m really looking forward to competing.”