Drouin wins NCAA record fifth high jump title

Derek Drouin made history again Friday night.

Drouin won the high jump event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., his record-breaking fifth NCAA high jump title.

The senior ends his career with three indoor titles, an NCAA record, and two outdoor titles.

“Most importantly, I’m just happy that I could end my collegiate career with a win,” he said. “With another title.”

Drouin won the indoor title in March, giving him the sweep in the event for the year. He accomplished the same feat in 2010, when he won his first two titles.

Only two other high jumpers have ever swept the event twice during their careers. Jesse Williams and Mark Boswell are the other two who have done it, but they both did it in consecutive years, whereas Drouin had a two-year gap.

The Corunna, Ontario native said that he didn’t know it was a record until after he won and was preparing for an interview with ESPNU, and sports information director Kyle Johnson informed the ESPN staffers that it was a record.

After narrowing it down to Drouin and Kansas State’s Erik Kynard, who had won the last two outdoor high jump titles, Drouin missed his first attempt at 2.31-meters, with Kynard clearing the bar.

Drouin knew he had to do something to get himself back in it, so he passed his next two attempts and elected to raise the bar to 2.34-meters.

“I would’ve had to make 2.34 to make it anyways to get back into the lead to win,” Drouin said. “It didn’t matter if I made 2.31 on my second or my third, I still would’ve found myself behind him. I just decided to pass and take the attempts at 2.34.”

On his second attempt, Drouin cleanly flew over the bar.

The rest was up to Kynard.

The Wildcat senior failed on three attempts to clear 2.34-meters. Last Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic, Kynard and Drouin had both leaped over 2.36-meters.

Drouin said he held his breath until Kynard didn’t clear on his third attempt.

“I was still kind of expecting him to come up with a big jump,” he said. “I was a little nervous. I certainly wasn’t celebrating or thinking it was over.”

After that, Kynard congratulated Drouin on winning the title.

But Drouin wasn’t done.

His first goal entering the competition was to win the title. His next goal was to break the NCAA record of 2.38-meters.

He wasted no time, putting the bar straight to 2.39-meters.

“I didn’t want to share the record,” he said. “I just went for it all outright.”

He said that he would determine if he would take three attempts pending on how his first attempt went. After just clipping the bar in what he called his best jump of the day, he decided to give it a shot.

On his final attempt, Drouin had another first. He started a clap. He managed to get the crowd behind him as he went for history.

“I generally don’t do that,” he said. “Actually, I’ve never done it in my life.”

Drouin said he decided to do it because it was his final attempt as a college athlete.
But after elevating for his final time as a Hoosier, the bar came down with him as he hit the mat. He couldn’t break the record.

At least not that record.

Drouin stood up, applauded the crowd, and walked away from his college career as a champion — the most decorated high jump champion in NCAA history.