West Holmes graduate nears nationals in high jump

As a West Holmes Knights athlete, Daphne Alexander enjoyed performing and showcasing her athletic skills, both on the volleyball court and in track and field.

Following graduation, she moved on to play volleyball at Geneva College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she began her pursuit for a degree in athletic training.

However, after arrival she began talking to the track and field staff, who expressed an interest in bringing her on board to compete in the high jump, something she did quite well at WHHS.

"The cool thing about college is that I may be competing in Division III, but our meets include athletes from Div. II and Div. I schools as well,” Alexander said. “The competition level is outstanding, and it’s been fun to step up and take on a bigger role this year. I’ve progressed so much throughout this year.”

She said putting in additional weightlifting work has been a key, but gaining in confidence has been the main thing that has propelled her upward.

“You see these great jumpers and you wonder how you can compete,” she said. “Then you work at it, and all of a sudden, you're right there with them.”

Alexander’s fall season began mundanely enough, where she was clearing 1.4 meters early on. However, as the season progressed, so too did her clearance height, and by spring she was clearing over 1.5 meters. She cleared 1.6 meters at the SPIRE College Indoor Games in February, and she kept climbing the ladder. That was a Geneva College record that had stood for more than 30 years.

At the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Finals, she cleared 1.63 meters. Then at the Baldwin Wallace Sparky Adams Invitational, she surprised even herself by clearing 1.7 meters, the equivalent of 5 feet, 7 inches.

That proved to be the magic number that pushed her into the nationals realm.

“I’d just won a meet last year, and then they were like, ‘Let’s move the bar and try to get you to nationals.’ I didn’t even know that was an option,” Alexander said. “I didn’t get it then, but at that point I kind of made it a goal to get to nationals.”

Alexander saw herself jumping at 1.7 meters and nearly clearing the bar, thus her confidence continued to blossom.

Then it happened — she cleared a height that is basically as tall as she is.

She said what she had done didn’t really register until she hit the mat and watched intently as the bar wobbled and then stayed put.

“I flipped my head up, and the bar wobbled a bit but stayed,” Alexander said. “I leaped off the mat, and all my teammates came running toward me and hugged me.”

After the curriculum part of her junior year was completed recently, Alexander had four days to return to Millersburg, where she continued to practice her high jump skills in anticipation of reaching the nationals in Wisconsin beginning May 21.

With little time left for competitors to qualify, Alexander found herself among the top 10 in the nation, and with 20 athletes qualifying for nationals, she is poised to reach that amazing goal.

For a kid who never expected to compete in track and field in college, it has been a whirlwind tour for Alexander.

“I came to play volleyball, and then I met the track coaches and they were so nice,” Alexander said. “It was a struggle to even get back to where I was in high school for a time, but once I got in the flow and started devoting more time to it, I could see the improvement coming.”

In addition to high jump, Alexander also competed in the 100-meter hurdles and saw herself improve there, but she has put that aside to focus on the high jump.

Alexander said she is looking forward to grad school once she completes next year at Geneva, and she said while she wouldn’t mind coming home, her ultimate goal is to work at a Div. III college, so she is willing to go wherever that opportunity arises.

But for now she is fully focused on another dream that has taken her to new heights.