The RoundHouse | 3/10/2023 3:06:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Brady Palen's indoor track and field season stalled at the 6-foot-10 bar, tempting him to transfer his high jumping hopes outdoors.
"It was pretty frustrating," he said. "I was pretty mad. I felt defeated."
In early February, Palen took steps to change that outlook.
More precisely, he moved his mark back and shortened up his final two steps to give him a faster, bouncier takeoff. With that new approach, he jumped 7 feet, 3 ¼ inches at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville on Feb. 17 to tie the school record.
"I needed something good to go my way," he said. "That happened at the Arkansas meet."
On the strength of that height, Palen enters the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships ranked No. 7. Palen, a sophomore from Beloit, jumps at 1 p.m. Saturday.
"I knew I could pull off a big jump to qualify," he said. "I just needed it to happen, put it all together."
Wichita State director of track and field
Steve Rainbolt figured Palen possessed the talent to pop off a significant jump. He watched him clear 7 feet in four straight practice sessions last fall. While the early indoor season didn't go as planned, both men knew what was possible.
"It was the kind of deal where the next bar is a good bar – 7 foot," Rainbolt said. "It just didn't happen. It was minor stuff. He just kind of was missing."
Palen didn't let his frustrations overwhelm him. In early February, he won the high jump at the USD Alumni Meet in South Dakota with a height of 6-10 ¼. That wasn't good enough for him and he made changes after that meet.
At lower bars, he can get away with landing on his left foot and take off with his right leg too far back. Since early February, he is swinging his right leg through and driving his arm more quickly.
"It's a quick rhythm in the last two steps," director of track and field
Steve Rainbolt. "He really found good, strong, last couple steps. His problem is that he gets long at the end. If you reach at the end, that can stop you."
Palen is making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after two appearances in the NCAA Outdoor West Preliminaries. He finished second in the American Athletic Conference indoor meet with a height of 7.2 1/2. In February.
On Friday, Palen starts his preparation with lots of water to hydrate. On Saturday, a cold shower wakes him up and he starts to get loose around 9 a.m. On his headphones, his go-to song is "Time for Me to Fly" by REO Speedwagon.
"I'll listen to that at least once on a trip," he said. "I'm a big music guy. I grew up working on a golf course and listening to music for eight hours a day. That definitely expanded my music taste."
Saturday at 1 p.m., it is time for Palen to try to fly, starting with the proper takeoff.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
