{"id":2426,"date":"2023-04-17T20:39:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T20:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring2024\/?p=2426"},"modified":"2026-05-07T13:50:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T13:50:28","slug":"path-to-greatness-the-story-of-lake-superior-states-first-track-and-field-national-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/path-to-greatness-the-story-of-lake-superior-states-first-track-and-field-national-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Path To Greatness – The Story Of Lake Superior State’s First Track And Field National Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Before the meet, my coach \u2013 Gregg Schmidt \u2013 came to my hotel room, and we’re just kind of chatting, getting my mental right. And he told me to write down on a sheet of paper what I thought it would take to win the championship.<\/em>“<\/p>\n

“He told me to write it down, fold it up, don’t give it to him.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Later that day, May 29, 2010, Jonathon Allen jumped 16.27 meters in the Triple Jump to win the NCAA Division II National Championship. Allen’s third jump of the day won the title, but his sixth jump, at 15.99 meters, also would have won the National Championship. He blew away the field and clinched a place in history as Lake Superior State’s first Track & Field National Champion.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his path over the course of a 45-minute conversation, Allen, a husband, father, and property management specialist in the Dallas area, slips back into the old, familiar mindset. His drive in pursuit of greatness changes the timbre of his voice. Recollecting the path to a national championship, you hear the same tones in Tom Brady or Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n

There’s a burning, insatiable drive for a goal. It’s unrelenting, totally dedicated to earning that achievement. Now, Allen says, “I spent so much time in the pursuit of being a great athlete that now it’s kind of fun.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I look back, and I feel almost sorry that I didn’t appreciate it more, but I also know that’s what drove me to just be better. It’s a long, hard road being great. There’s a lot of sacrifices. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s all worth it. It’s almost like proving to yourself that you can do anything.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

That drive and focus on a singular life’s pursuit, much more than a simple goal, is the kind of thing you hear in sports documentaries. You can feel the determination, the iron-willed intensity, the passion for the pursuit, and the singular focus on that achievement in every word. It’s the kind of thing that most can’t tap into \u2013 probably for the best. It’s all-consuming.<\/p>\n

But if you can find that zone, and if you can push yourself beyond those limits, that’s where you can find and achieve greatness and how you can stand among the very best.<\/p>\n

THE PITCH<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

Jonathon Allen’s journey to greatness began with an interesting recruiting pitch.<\/p>\n

After winning the Michigan High School Athletic Association state championship in the long jump, Michigan State University recruited Allen heavily. Coming off of a state title, he rather understandably\u00a0felt pretty strongly about his long-jumping abilities. But he recalled the coach telling him, “You’re a decent long jumper. But you’ll be a great triple jumper.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I was almost offended.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

It turns out his position coach, Randy Huntington, knew a few things about jumps. He coached Willie Banks, who set the event’s world record at 17.97 meters at the 1985 USA National Championships and held the mark for a decade. Huntington also coached Mike Powell, a long jump world record holder, and Wang Jianan, the 2022 long jump world champion.<\/p>\n

Suffice to say, Huntington knows good jumpers, even though Michigan doesn’t contest the triple jump at the high school level. He took a “decent” long jumper and started shaping a champion triple jumper.<\/p>\n

“I had no bad mechanics,<\/em>” Allen said. “He was able to basically just teach me from nothing and mold my mechanics.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

He continued, “I have so much respect for Randy, and I give him all the credit for molding me into a triple jumper. He made it seem fun. You could tell he took a lot of pride in the fact that he knew what he was talking about.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

THE ROAD NORTH<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

Allen’s path eventually led him north to Sault Ste. Marie, MI. After briefly living in Atlanta, GA, he connected with Steve Eles, the Cross Country and Track and Field head coach at LSSU. A Laker alum, Eles still occupies a spot in the program’s record book as part of the 4×800-Meter Relay team with Ross Malatinsky, Anthony Pavicic and Justin Gretzinger.<\/p>\n

Eles was nearly ignored.<\/p>\n

“I was coming out of work, and he called me. It was late, probably like 11:00 at night,<\/em>” remembered Allen. “He’s like, ‘Hey, if you can make it up here by the beginning of the semester, I’ve got a scholarship for you.’ And I just kind of blew it off. Like, yeah, all right, man. That sounds great, but I don’t believe that one bit.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I called him back, and he was dead serious.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Allen had left MSU\u00a0and been out of competition for two years. But he\u00a0remembered the words his grandfather told him while discussing the possibility of attending Lake Superior State.<\/p>\n

“You’ve been given a great second chance, not only at being an athlete, but a student. So do what you’ve got to do, take care of your business and make the most out of the situation.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Then once I got to LSSU, I really just fell in love with it.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

He laughed about the biggest difference between East Lansing and Sault Ste. Marie.<\/p>\n

“Definitely the snowbanks.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

THE CHALLENGE<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

“I never really practiced,<\/em>” Allen reflected. “Practice was at track meets because we didn’t have a pit.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

“I wanted it that bad. I just wouldn’t give myself any excuses. I could easily say, ‘Oh, this sucks. I don’t have a pit to jump in. I only get to jump at the track meets.’ And that was more of my motivation than anything to do that and to have that Lake State jersey on top of the podium.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Though LSSU now has a pit for jumpers to train at, it’s a mind-boggling detail in Allen’s story. A national champion couldn’t practice outside of competition. He talked about not having the same facilities but said it was “extra special” because of how unconventional the journey was. His path to the title through Lake State began with the Indoor Track and Field season in 2010. He won the event at the GLIAC Championships and qualified for nationals, where he placed fourth.<\/p>\n

“I remember being on the podium and there was the guy who won the trophy. I remember looking up at him as he held the trophy over his head, and I just remember telling myself that I never want to look at that and have this view again in life.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I’m never doing this again, because it just burned me that I was not first.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

The spark that began with an odd recruiting pitch from one of the sport’s greatest coaches had burst into a flame. Though the kindling had long been part of Allen’s psyche.<\/p>\n

His parents always told him that he was too hard on himself. But he had one thing on his mind. “I wanted to be a national champ. That’s all I ever wanted, was to be recognized as the absolute best. I am better than everyone else.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

THE JUMP<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

Jonathon Allen climbed the mountain in May 2010 at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Charlotte, NC.<\/p>\n

Remember the number written on a sheet of paper? Assistant coach Gregg Schmidt told Allen to write down what he thought it would take to win a national championship. Don’t share it, just keep it.<\/p>\n

That’s what he jumped.<\/p>\n

“It was just one of those days it feels like it was just meant to be. I wrote down exactly what I thought it was going to take to win and that’s what I jumped.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Fate. Destiny. A stroke of fortune. A lucky guess. Whatever you want to call it. Allen’s winning jump \u2013 his third attempt – of 16.27 meters was 1.24 meters further than he had jumped to win the GLIAC Championships earlier in the month. His next best jump \u2013 on his final attempt, would have won the title anyway at 15.99 meters.<\/p>\n

“I think that was a great feeling, just to get up, get that jump, know it was a great one and then just kind of look back at everyone like, ‘Yeah, it’s your turn now. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna show up or are you gonna break?’ And a lot of them broke. There’s a lot of fouls after that<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

In fact, of the eight other athletes that jumped in the finals that day, six committed fouls and three committed multiple fouls. At the end of qualifying, the next best jump was 15.73 meters. He’d flown right past that on his third jump.<\/p>\n

“I do remember thinking, nobody is going to jump this, because they’re shook now. I don’t think anyone’s going to beat this because it was so much further than everyone’s jump at that point. I think everyone started pressing. You can tell when they’re just trying too hard and I kind of knew. I kind of knew.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

He continued, “I looked up in the stands and my dad was just\u2026 he had that look on his face like, ‘Yeah, I think that’s it.’ And you can see it on the faces of the people around you. You can hear it when you have that special moment where everybody \u2013 whether it’s in awe or it’s like you’re shook \u2013 like, ‘Oh, no.’ I thought today was my day, and then that happened, and you hear it, you feel it, right?<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Allen spoke a lot about his family being able to watch his achievement. “My grandfather was there. My dad, my mom, my sister. They didn’t really get a chance to make a lot of the meets in the Upper Peninsula when I was at Lake State, because they were living in Georgia at the time. But they made it to the National Championship, and honestly, to do it in front of my family felt even better.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I remember watching my dad almost like running up and down the stands as I was doing my jumps. He was so excited. Having my granddad there\u2026 He was amazing, man. You would’ve thought he was my coach as much as he would tell me, ‘Oh, you need to do this, you need to do that,’ and he had never jumped before in his life. But he was just so proud to see me actually go out there and accomplish what they all knew was a goal for me.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“And then, like I said, to do it in the Laker jersey just made it that much better. Who is this kid from this small school out of nowhere that came out here and just whooped everybody?<\/em>”<\/p>\n

LEGACY OF CHAMPIONSHIPS<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

Jonathon Allen remained a triple jump force the next year, winning several meets, including the GLIAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He finished third at the Indoor National Championships and second at the Outdoor National Championships. He stayed active in the long jump, too \u2013 where he was pretty good. He finished fourth at the GLIAC Indoor Championships in 2011. Not bad for a guy who was just “decent” at it.<\/p>\n

But Allen found greatness in the triple jump. And so did LSSU.<\/p>\n

Eles began stepping away from coaching after Allen’s success, opening the path for Matt Sparks to take over as Head Coach. Sparks embarked on a brilliant tenure of his own, coaching 12 All-Americans at Lake State.<\/p>\n

In 2012, Jason Brenton won the Division II National Championship in the triple jump. An LSSU assistant coach who had competed for three and a half years previously for Sparks, he had one last bit of eligibility and decided to use it in pursuit of his own path to greatness. He placed fifth in the heptathlon as an All-American, then started his triple jump warmups a half hour later, en route to winning Lake Superior State’s second National Championship in a two-year span.<\/p>\n

Then in 2015, Justin Dieck won the shot put, while competing for Head Coach Jason Davis. The Lakers had three individual National Champions in a five-year window. That seems to be the way it goes in Sault Ste. Marie. Where one national championship goes, others follow.<\/p>\n

AFTERMATH<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n

For Jonathon Allen, the leader of that group of champions, these days are a bit more low-key. He watches a lot of basketball, loves old cars and recently started golfing. The champ has spent a lot of time with his parents, his wife Amanda and his daughter Eden.<\/p>\n

“I’m kind of just keeping myself in shape\u2026 just being a dad. Just being a little washed up,<\/em>” he said with a laugh. “I’m really enjoying not being an athlete.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

But there are moments when the switch flips.<\/p>\n

When he lived in the Soo, his daughter participated in a distance run as part of the Girls on the Run program. She needed a running partner and asked her dad, who immediately said that he had no interest in running. “Listen, I’m not doing sprints. I’m not doing distance either\u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n

“But I told her, I’m kind of a competitor, so if we do this, we’ve got to win.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“We went out there and we took first place.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Wearing Laker gear, of course. His big motivation were all the stories she’d heard as a kid about how great her dad was.<\/p>\n

“I was more scared than her. I hadn’t been working out for a couple of years. I don’t know how I’m going to do this. She never really saw me compete. So I knew I couldn’t go out there and not win. She heard all her life about how good I was. I’ve got to win.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Allen received a championship ring in January 2026 in a ceremony at Taffy Abel Arena. Days later, he still couldn’t stop staring at it \u2013 a lasting reminder of the pursuit of greatness all those years ago. He had no idea it was coming. Eden had conspired with current Track and Field Head Coach\u00a0Matt Stith<\/a><\/dfn>\u00a0to get her dad up to the Soo and on to the ice without him knowing why. Allen chuckled about the irony.\u00a0 He said that his family is horrible at keeping secrets. Yet they all kept one of the biggest of them all and created one of the best moments of his life.<\/p>\n

“Eden’s a great kid. I say kid,<\/em>” he cut himself off, “she’s almost grown now. But she’s as close to a reflection of me as you can get.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“She’s one of those special kids that always has been a leader.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

It’s a different pursuit of greatness. Greatness of the mind and spirit. A family driven in its pursuit, each in their own ways. Allen reflected on his journey, looking back many years after he was the NCAA Division II Track and Field Triple Jump National Champion.<\/p>\n

“I wanted to be great. I didn’t want to just be on the team. I didn’t want to just be okay. Like, I wanted to be better than you. I want to be the best. I want to pump my chest and let you know I’m the best. So, to achieve that, you kind of have to have that level of never satisfied. Once you even get it, it’s like, what’s next? Like, you enjoy it for a second. You enjoy kind of understanding that you got there, but then it’s like, all right, well, I got to do it again. I got to go to the next level. But that’s just a part of the pursuit of greatness.<\/em>“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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