Feature Story On Gibraltar Recruit
7/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
July 10, 2000
by Korey Mallien
Gibraltar senior Ryan Jacobson couldn't have ended his high school track and field career any better than the way he did on Friday and Saturday (June 2 & 3) at the state track meet in LaCrosse.
Jacobson won a rare three events, running off with state titles in the 400-, 800-and 1,600-meter runs in Division 3. He set a division state record in the 400 with a time of 48.85 seconds and won the 800 for the second year in a row.
Jacobson's performance was one of the most spectacular of the entire state meet, overshadowed only by Stratford's Andrew Rock, who won four events in Division 3. Rock placed first in the 110 high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles, 200 dash and long jump.
Jacobson, a bit exhausted after running his final race on Saturday, said winning three state titles in the same year is a dream come true.
"It feels really good," he said. "I've been thinking about this all week and everybody's been telling me that I had a good chance. It's a good end to my high school career."
Jacobson, who is headed to Marquette University in the fall on a Division I track and cross country scholarship, was the favorite in all three races, and he backed it up with convincing wins in each of them.
He won the 1,600 on Friday with a time of 4 minutes, 25.8 seconds, which wasn't the best of his career, but was more than enough to hold off the rest of the pack.
Jacobson led the entire race and wasn't really challenged until the final 50 meters, when Nick Boehlke of Three Lakes turned it on down the home stretch. Jacobson appeared to be coasting to the finish line when a friend yelled to him that Boehlke was hot on his heels.
"I thought, 'Oh, I better get a jump on it then,'" said Jacobson.
Boehlke finished second in 4:26.50 and Hurley's Kyle Elsemore placed third in 4:27.69.
The win was a little extra special for Jacobson, who advanced to state in the 1,600 each of the past two years, but never finished higher than third.
"That felt good," he said afterward.
Jacobson came back Saturday to win the 400 and 800 in a span of about 60 minutes.
His winning time in the 400 eclipsed the previous Division 3 state record of 49.00 held by Ryan Truschinski of Marshall since 1993.
Jacobson won the race by nearly two seconds and significantly lowered his previous school and Door County record of 49.4 in the process.
The 400 was slightly easier than expected for Jacobson, who might have caught a break when Arcadia's Ben Vazquez dropped out of the race because of a hamstring pull. Vazquez was seeded second with a time of 49.9.
Jacobson was confident that even with Vazquez in the field, he still would have won the race.
"I didn't even realize it until we started," he said. "I don't think it would have made a difference. I felt really good for that 400."
Jacobson's record-setting win in the 400 was especially impressive because he's long been considered more of a distance runner than a sprinter. Plus, he almost dropped the event prior to the start of postseason competition, which would have prevented him from advancing to state.
Jacobson said he was thinking about entering the 1,600 relay instead of the 400, but he decided to stay in the quarter-mile event on the urging of his teammates.
"I'm glad I did," said Jacobson, who credits Sverre Falck-Pedersen for helping him to train.
Jacobson completed his gold rush by defending his state title in the 800 with a winning time of 1:58.80. Glenwood City's Nathan Hoffman placed second in 2:01.14 and Sevastopol's Jeremy Ehlers finished third in 2:01.34.
Jacobson led most of the race and began to pull away with about 300 meters remaining. He said the race was easier than expected.
"It didn't feel like a tough race at all," he said. "It wasn't like I was going to pass out at the end or anything like that."
Jacobson was decked out on Saturday for the 400 and 800 with fake tattoos on both of his shoulders and calves. He said some girlfriends from school drew the tattoos with magic marker and the symbols were supposed to signify unity and luck.
"I was hoping (the meet officials) weren't going to make me wash them off," he said. "I think they helped bring me some luck."
This article is reprinted from the June 6, 2000, edition of The Door County Advocate, courtesy of Korey Mallien, sports editor and reporter.
