Austin Keeling may have begun his track career in Alaska, but the Fort Campbell junior is familiar with the tradition of the Falcon track and field career. He is hoping to add his name to the long list of state champions the Falcon track program has produced through the years.
Keeling started jumping in the seventh grade at Fort Richardson, Alaska before moving to Fort Campbell.
As a freshman, Keeling finished fourth at the region meet in the triple jump and was seventh in the long jump. In his best event, the high jump, he failed to complete a jump.
At his first Class 2A state meet in 2016, Keeling finished 13th in the triple jump.
As a sophomore, Keeling qualified for the state meet in two events after winning the high jump at region and finishing fifth in the triple jump. At the Class 2A state meet, he finished tenth in the high jump, clearing 5-feet-10 inches. He was also 11th in the triple jump.
This year, Keeling has already reached a personal best of 6-feet-4 inches, which would have been good for second place at the state meet last year.
His goal is to qualify for all three jumping events at the Class 2A state meet this year. The way things are going, he’s off to a good start in reaching that goal.
