Mikhail Brown can fly.
On May 26, the stellar sophomore proved it by becoming the first athlete in school history to jump six feet and four inches in the high jump.
The Herculean feat couldn’t have come at a better time. Competing in the Maryland state championships at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Brown cleared the height on his third and final attempt of the 4A high jump competition. The jump earned Brown a second place finish in the meet as well as a personal best and school record.
“I was ecstatic, overjoyed,” coach Jonathan Thomas said. “I had a feeling that he set the school record but I wasn’t sure. The crazy thing about it was that when he cleared it, he had like a lot more room. I think he could’ve cleared six [feet], eight [inches].”
Though Brown flew to heights no Patriot had reached before at the state meet, he had dominated competitions throughout the season. After finishing seventh at the Montgomery County Championships his freshman year, Brown placed second in the county this season when he achieved a four-inch personal best with a jump of 6’2”. Another six foot leap at the 4A West Regional Championships qualified him for the state meet, and he made the opportunity count.
“As much as he plays around during practice, when it comes to actual competition, he has a real laser focus,” Thomas said of Brown. “He feeds off the competition. The guy that he was jumping against, you could see Mikhail’s excitement in how he was wanting to take on that challenge. Whenever he’s in a competition like that, he becomes real focused.”
The secret is out. With a second place finish and school record under his belt, Brown will be on everyone’s radar come next track and field season. If he can build off this year’s success, a state title could be in the works for the greatest high jumper our school has ever seen.

John Riker

Online Editor