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The last time the Bonner Springs community saw Eddie McClain perform on the track, he was soaring over the high jump bar at an eye-popping 7 feet.

That special ability landed him on the track team at Wichita State University two years ago. The sky was the limit, and the Missouri Valley Conference was on notice.

In McClain’s two seasons at WSU, however, the 7-foot magic number has eluded him. A jump of 7-5 by Kansas State’s Scott Sellers recently won the NCAA national championship, so when he’s at his best McClain clearly is among the elite in his event.

McClain understands the 7-0 mark is reachable for him, but to this point he has been disappointed with his production on the track in college.

“Things haven’t gone so well athletically,” McClain said. “I have not been able to get back to what I am capable of. I just thought I’d be doing better than I am.”

In his first collegiate meet, the indoor Kansas Invitational, he placed second with a jump of 6-4. To an outsider, it may have looked like college competition was going to be easy for McClain, but he was not as easily fooled.

“I knew it was still going to be really hard despite my good finish,” McClain said. “I knew that we are in a very tough conference and it was going to be difficult.”

McClain was wise to keep himself grounded. The second-place finish was his highest of his freshman year. He placed 14th at the Iowa State Classic with a jump of 6-7 and 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships with a jump of 6-4.

According to McClain, during his freshman year he fought injuries often. He strained his hamstring not once, but twice, which made jumping difficult. He also sprained his ankle during the last meet of the year, and lingering effects from those injuries carried over into his sophomore season.

McClain is staying at his parents’ home in Kansas City, Kan., over the summer — a big difference from the dorm life he has on campus at Wichita State. He has met a lot of different people in the dorms from all over and says that it is fun, but being home is a nice break. While in Kansas City, he is playing in pickup basketball games with friends and plans to start working on the track in his free time after his body recovers from the long, grueling year.

College track begins in September and finishes in May. Indoor season doesn’t begin until winter, but training starts just after school starts, which was a tough adjustment for McClain. At points during the year the team practices from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week, which makes it difficult for him to mix with classroom commitments. McClain said Bonner Springs High School prepared him for what to expect academically at Wichita State, and if he has trouble with any subject he goes to his tutors for help.

“I have to train and practice a lot harder athletically then I did in high school, and you have to really enjoy what you are doing if you do it that often,” McClain said. “Practicing that much makes you become self disciplined in everything else like school work and (time management.)”

McClain said he missed the relationships he built with classmates and coaches in high school, but he really had enjoyed going out of town for college.

Now, with two years of college athletic eligibility remaining, McClain is setting his sights for getting back to the 7-foot mark and beyond so he can compete for titles in his junior and senior years.

“I am capable of much more on the track,” McClain said. “I am going to work really hard to get my confidence back and get back (up to my standards.)”

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