‘We want to come out on top’: UNK high jumpers pushing each other to new heights
KEARNEY – Nolan Studley didn’t hesitate when asked if he wants to beat teammate Luke Brachle in competition.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a grin.
Brachle immediately echoed the response.
“We want to beat each other, but not in a super mean way,” he added with a laugh. “We want each other to do well, but we also want to come out on top.”
That competitive balance – pushing each other while celebrating each other’s success – has helped fuel one of the nation’s top high jump groups at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Studley and Brachle are among the 11 Lopers headed to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for Thursday through Saturday in Emporia, Kansas. Garett Novacek will join them in the high jump competition, making UNK the only Division II men’s program with three national qualifiers in the event.
The Loper men are ranked 14th nationally as a team and No. 1 in the high jump.
Studley, a junior from Hastings, currently leads Division II after clearing 7 feet, 3 inches at the Central Nebraska Challenge in March. That mark broke the outdoor school record previously held by UNK assistant coach Brayden Sorensen.
Brachle, a freshman from Kearney, is ranked fifth nationally after reaching 7-1 3/4 at the ESU Midwest Classic in April. Novacek, a freshman from David City, is ranked 14th with a leap of 6-10 3/4.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Studley, a three-time state qualifier and 2023 Class B state champion at Hastings High. “I never thought there would be three of us going to nationals when only 22 are taken. It means a lot. It really shows how far the program has come in such a short time.”
Brachle, a two-time state medalist and 2024 Class A state champion at Kearney High, shared a similar perspective.
“As a freshman coming in and seeing the marks you have to hit to make nationals, at the start of the season I would have been like, ‘I might get lucky and be there,’” he said. “But now Nolan, Garett and I are all going. It’s pretty insane that we have three guys who worked super hard to get better, help each other improve and all make it.”
Iron sharpens iron
The competition between the UNK high jumpers extends beyond meet day. They train together, spend time together outside track and consistently challenge each other during practice.
“Practice feels competitive when we jump,” Studley said. “It’s kind of like an iron-sharpens-iron situation to have someone to push you on the days when you don’t have it.”
Brachle believes the same dynamic has accelerated his development during his freshman season.
“It’s definitely a lot of the same benefits, just pushing each other,” he said. “It really gives me the motivation to step up and compete and do well. It makes me work hard in the weight room, work hard at practice and want to achieve the goals I set at the beginning of the season.
“Him getting better helps me get better and me getting better helps him get better.”
The pair bring different personalities to the group – Studley is “pretty chill and nonchalant” and Brachle is “very funny and outgoing” – but they share many of the same attributes.
They’re both tall and athletic, with Brachle standing 6-foot-7 and Studley checking in at 6-3. That also plays a big part in their success.
Studley earned All-American recognition during the outdoor season as a freshman and sophomore, finishing 10th and seventh at nationals, respectively.
He cleared 7-1 during the most recent indoor season, the third-best mark in school history. Less than two months later, Brachle went 7-1 1/2 at Cushing Coliseum, putting him behind only Sorensen (7-2 1/4) in the UNK record book.
Both Lopers qualified for the Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Virginia Beach, where Brachle finished seventh and Studley tied for ninth, giving them All-American honors.
When Studley broke Sorensen’s outdoor record earlier this spring, Brachle immediately began chasing it.
“Nolan set the school record, then I was attempting 1 centimeter higher the next week,” Brachle said with a smile.
“I was a little nervous,” Studley admitted. “But if it happens, it happens.”
Building ‘High Jump U’
Sorensen understands exactly what his jumpers are experiencing. The 2024 UNK graduate was a six-time Division II All-American and national runner-up.
Rather than worrying about whether his name will slide down the record board, he embraces the situation.
“Why be mad about it when I coached it?” he said. “Records are meant to be broken, so I want the people I coach to do it. I was actually pretty excited when it happened.”
Sorensen believes the relationship between Studley and Brachle has been critical to their success.
“They go back and forth at practice and during meets every single week,” he said. “It’s really fun as a coach because I know they’re going to work hard and perform well. They’ve put in everything that’s needed to be in the position they’re in.”
The former Kearney High Bearcat also emphasizes the culture built within the event group, mentioning names like 2019 All-American Montrez Jackson and the late Lonny Polacek, a longtime UNK assistant coach.
“The culture is just there now,” Sorensen said. “I didn’t have to rebuild it. It was already there, and now we’re just adding more people to it.”
His athletes are quick to give Sorensen a lot of the credit, too.
“He helps us so much,” Brachle said. “Without Brayden, I would not be where I’m at today. He pushes us to do well, and he’s really invested in it, which makes us really invested in it, as well.”
“Brayden is very knowledgeable about track,” Studley added. “If he wasn’t here, I don’t know where I would be or how high I would be jumping. There’s a lot of things I couldn’t do without Brayden as my coach.”
With a shared belief in the program and each other, the Lopers have big expectations for the NCAA Outdoor Championships and beyond.
Their goal?
“Win a natty,” Studley said.
“Yeah. Win a national championship. Finish 1-2,” Brachle added with a smile. “Keep building on High Jump U.”