Photo by: Sam Bloom
Noah Martin Finding Rhythm Ahead of West Region High Jump Appearance
5/23/2018 2:06:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
The Montana State sophomore high jumper looks to top a lifetime-best clearance and make his way to Eugene when he competes at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Saturday
Montana State's Noah Martin has all of the traits of a successful Division I high jumper.
Martin embraces competition. He stands as tall as the peers he jumps side-by-side against. He uses the adrenaline fueled by the crowd as he attempts to clear another mark up as the bar is raised.
Martin has been preparing for this moment since he donned the Montana State uniform.
The Spokane, Wash., native will make his NCAA West Preliminary Round debut in the final heat of the men's high jump on Saturday. It's a meet that the Bobcat sophomore has been anticipating.
"I think it's going be a really fun experience," Martin said. "Just being able to jump against some good competition and have a little more adrenaline going into it. I'd like get over 7 feet and possibly get into the national meet."
That goal isn't insurmountable for Martin. It's one he's previously achieved.
Before arriving to the Montana State campus as Bobcat, Martin qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the summer of 2016 in the high jump. Martin advanced to the prestigious meet by clearing a height of 7 feet, 3 inches during his senior campaign at University High School. That height was one of the top five in the nation among prep athletes in 2016.
Eclipsing the 7-foot mark at Saturday's NCAA preliminaries would give Martin a solid mark and high probability of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene. It's the same location where he earned the right to compete as a high school senior at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
"I think 7 or 7-1 will get him out (of regionals) depending on the day," said Montana State jumps coach Tom Eitel. "That's normally what moves on to Eugene. He's been high over 6-11 (this year), it's just a matter of timing right now."
Martin, who will be focusing on what is arguably his best individual event, has been a point producer for the Bobcats since joining the track and field program in several events.
A freshman during the 2016-17 indoor season, Martin made waves early in his collegiate career by claiming his first conference title in the high jump. When the 2017-18 indoor campaign came around, Martin made sure to reach the podium again, but this time in a different event.
Martin placed third at the 2018 Big Sky Indoor Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz., in the heptathlon behind an output of 4,977 points – the seventh highest total in program history. He continued the trend this spring. Martin registered 11 points towards MSU's third-place showing at the Big Sky outdoor meet. While he put together a bronze-medal performance in the high jump, Martin cleared a lifetime-best mark of 15-05.50 (4.71m) in the pole vault to finish fourth overall.
"I think it's fun," Martin said of contributing in multiple ways for the Bobcats. "It's hard to just do one event. The competitive aspect of being an athlete is big to me."
Martin came to Montana State with several factors weighting into his decision originally.
Both of his parents attended Montana State University with his mother, Sue, playing two years on the Bobcat women's basketball team. He also attributed MSU's coaching staff and the relationships he built with members of the team while being recruited.
"Coming in we wanted him to do the multis and high jump," Eitel said. "He had experience vaulting in high school and he came in and has been in a groove in multiple events. That's what we look for all the time. We prefer to have multi-event kids and he's all about team. He'll do whatever it takes. he's all about scoring as many points as he can for the team."
A state champion in Washington as a high school junior in the high jump, Martin has had similar success at the collegiate level since arriving in Bozeman. He's scored points at every Big Sky Championship he's appeared in and earned all-conference honors on three occasions. Martin may have not eclipsed the 7-foot mark in the high jump since his prep days, but he's put his imprint into the Bobcat record book in the event.
Martin was the first Bobcat to join the all-time top 10 list in the high jump in 22 years as a freshman. He is currently tied for fourth all-time indoors and owns the fifth-best mark in program history outdoors in the high jump at 6-11. His outdoors mark was set at the Tom Gage Classic on May 5 this spring and he tied that clearance en route to his third-place effort at the most recent Big Sky Championship.
Martin's recent consistency in the high jump has both he and his coach excited about the possibilities that lie ahead this weekend.
"It's just like any other competition," Eitel said. "That's where he's probably the best. He really likes competition. High jumpers use a lot of adrenaline when they jump, so they just channel it. The bigger the meet, the more excited he gets. This year, I think he can get pretty high if he hits at regionals."
Martin embraces competition. He stands as tall as the peers he jumps side-by-side against. He uses the adrenaline fueled by the crowd as he attempts to clear another mark up as the bar is raised.
Martin has been preparing for this moment since he donned the Montana State uniform.
The Spokane, Wash., native will make his NCAA West Preliminary Round debut in the final heat of the men's high jump on Saturday. It's a meet that the Bobcat sophomore has been anticipating.
"I think it's going be a really fun experience," Martin said. "Just being able to jump against some good competition and have a little more adrenaline going into it. I'd like get over 7 feet and possibly get into the national meet."
That goal isn't insurmountable for Martin. It's one he's previously achieved.
Before arriving to the Montana State campus as Bobcat, Martin qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the summer of 2016 in the high jump. Martin advanced to the prestigious meet by clearing a height of 7 feet, 3 inches during his senior campaign at University High School. That height was one of the top five in the nation among prep athletes in 2016.
Eclipsing the 7-foot mark at Saturday's NCAA preliminaries would give Martin a solid mark and high probability of advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene. It's the same location where he earned the right to compete as a high school senior at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
"I think 7 or 7-1 will get him out (of regionals) depending on the day," said Montana State jumps coach Tom Eitel. "That's normally what moves on to Eugene. He's been high over 6-11 (this year), it's just a matter of timing right now."
Martin, who will be focusing on what is arguably his best individual event, has been a point producer for the Bobcats since joining the track and field program in several events.
A freshman during the 2016-17 indoor season, Martin made waves early in his collegiate career by claiming his first conference title in the high jump. When the 2017-18 indoor campaign came around, Martin made sure to reach the podium again, but this time in a different event.
Martin placed third at the 2018 Big Sky Indoor Championships in Flagstaff, Ariz., in the heptathlon behind an output of 4,977 points – the seventh highest total in program history. He continued the trend this spring. Martin registered 11 points towards MSU's third-place showing at the Big Sky outdoor meet. While he put together a bronze-medal performance in the high jump, Martin cleared a lifetime-best mark of 15-05.50 (4.71m) in the pole vault to finish fourth overall.
"I think it's fun," Martin said of contributing in multiple ways for the Bobcats. "It's hard to just do one event. The competitive aspect of being an athlete is big to me."
Martin came to Montana State with several factors weighting into his decision originally.
Both of his parents attended Montana State University with his mother, Sue, playing two years on the Bobcat women's basketball team. He also attributed MSU's coaching staff and the relationships he built with members of the team while being recruited.
"Coming in we wanted him to do the multis and high jump," Eitel said. "He had experience vaulting in high school and he came in and has been in a groove in multiple events. That's what we look for all the time. We prefer to have multi-event kids and he's all about team. He'll do whatever it takes. he's all about scoring as many points as he can for the team."
A state champion in Washington as a high school junior in the high jump, Martin has had similar success at the collegiate level since arriving in Bozeman. He's scored points at every Big Sky Championship he's appeared in and earned all-conference honors on three occasions. Martin may have not eclipsed the 7-foot mark in the high jump since his prep days, but he's put his imprint into the Bobcat record book in the event.
Martin was the first Bobcat to join the all-time top 10 list in the high jump in 22 years as a freshman. He is currently tied for fourth all-time indoors and owns the fifth-best mark in program history outdoors in the high jump at 6-11. His outdoors mark was set at the Tom Gage Classic on May 5 this spring and he tied that clearance en route to his third-place effort at the most recent Big Sky Championship.
Martin's recent consistency in the high jump has both he and his coach excited about the possibilities that lie ahead this weekend.
"It's just like any other competition," Eitel said. "That's where he's probably the best. He really likes competition. High jumpers use a lot of adrenaline when they jump, so they just channel it. The bigger the meet, the more excited he gets. This year, I think he can get pretty high if he hits at regionals."
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Men's Track and FieldBig Sky Preview
Friday, February 11
Track and Field Big Sky Championships
Monday, February 18
Coach Kennedy - Feb. 11, 2013
Tuesday, February 12
Coach Kennedy - Feb. 4, 2013
Tuesday, February 05
