Kieler breaks school high jump record

In 1977, Kurt Lorenzen set the Cedar Falls school record in high jump with a leap of 6’7, and 42 years later, 5’11 junior Bryce Albaugh cleared the same height, tying the school record. 

Last week, junior Jacob Kieler, who stands a very similar height to Albaugh, broke the 45-year old record when he cleared 6’7½, which currently stands as the state’s best so far this year. Kieler finished second at state last year as a sophomore, where he jumped 6’5 but lost due to jump backs. Cedar Falls went on to win the state title as a team. 

“Seeing Bryce get over 6’7 when I was just an eighth grader was pretty inspiring to me,” Kieler said. Kieler only got to be teammates with Albaugh for one meet before COVID ended his freshman season in 2020. 

Two years later, Kieler is starting to make excellent high jumping a tradition in Cedar Falls. “The goal is for kids younger than me who want to high jump see what it’s like to succeed so that they can be motivated to give it their all and work toward their goals every day,” Kieler said. 

Kieler is certainly seeing his goals be accomplished this season but has even higher hopes for the rest of the season. “I think 6’10 is absolutely an achievable goal for me this season, with seven feet a possibility next year,” Kieler said. Kieler’s school record jump last week made him an automatic qualifier for the Drake Relays, which are held every year at the blue oval inside of Drake stadium. “Qualifying for Drake has been a goal of mine since my freshman year and to achieve something like that again is really special to me,” said Kieler. 

The state meet is set to be held May 19-21 where Kieler will look to earn redemption from last year and claim his first individual state title. “The ultimate goal since I started really taking jumping seriously has been to win a state championship and I think this is the year for that,” Kieler said. 

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