By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

Alan Hanna could be the next Bahamian male high jumper to watch as he prepares for his collegiate career on a division-one scholarship at Kansas State.

Over the weekend at the KSHSAA State Championship at the Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, the graduating student at Maize High School soared a lifetime best of 7-feet, 3 1/2-inches or 2.22 metres to win the boys’ 6A high jump.

In the process, Hanna broke the 30-year-old state meet record of 7-3 1/4 (2.21m) that was set by Garden City’s Jason Archibald. It is the second-best mark in Kansas history and second-best mark in the United States this season.

“I just had the feeling that I’ve really got to be number one,” Hanna told The Wichita Eagle after his performance. “Anything lower than that is not really that good.”

With his performance, Hanna improved on his previous personal best of 7-2 (2.18m) and he posted the second best feat by a Bahamian this year, trailing only Donald Thomas, who cleared 7-5 3/4 (2.28m) on April 27 at the Jagar Track in Mobile, Alabama.

Hanna’s father, Jason Hanna, who was on the sideline to watch his son close out his high school campaign, was just as impressed as everybody else with his accomplishment. 

“We started putting the bar up that high, just so he could see it,” proud father Jason Hanna said. “And then he went to work.”

After starting the competition clearing 6-10 (2.08m) to secure the title, the bar moved up to 7-0 (2.13m) as Hanna easily cleared it. 

From there, he matched his PR of 7-2 (2.18m) to continue a clean slate. 

But as he soared over the bar at 7-3 1/2 (2.22m), Hanna said he knew he did something special.

It propelled him to one of the top 10 performances ever by a Bahamian. 

“That one felt crazy. When I was over the bar and I didn’t feel anything, I started celebrating a little early,” Hanna said. 

“I looked up at the bar and I said, ‘I got you. I’m going higher than you.’”

His coach at Maize, McKenna Pontius, knew that he had a phenomenal athlete on his hand. 

“He is an elite athlete, and it’s just been amazing to have a front-row seat to his gift,” Pontius said. “For him, every competition is between him and the bar.”

His father said it will be an achievement that he won’t forget.

“It was just unbelievable,” father Hanna said. “I still can’t believe it. It was just breathtaking. 

“It’s just awesome, and I’m so proud of him that he was able to say that he wanted to break a record and he put in the hard work and did it.”

The 18-year-old Hanna has earned a scholarship at Kansas State where he expects the sky to be the limit as he begins his collegiate career in August.

He follows in the footsteps of his older brother Jacob Hanna, who completed his senior year as a basketball player for the Washburn Ichabods. 

Jacob Hanna was named the most outstanding player in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament where the Ichabods made it to the Final Four this season.

Jacob Hanna was also named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year after he transferred from the University of Illinois-Springfield.