When one door closes, another one opens. This is the mindset Aidan Jacobsen ’24 carried into his sophomore high school track season after an injury caused him to shift paths. 

“I always saw basketball as my main sport until last year when I injured my shoulder and missed the season,” Jacobsen said. “All I could focus on at that time was track, so sophomore year was really my breakthrough year.”

Transitioning from viewing running as merely a second sport to the sport he now prioritizes was unexpected for Jacobsen. However, running has always been a part of his life. Jacobsen’s career started at a young age when he began to run for fun.

“I pretty much always ran because my dad used to run,” Jacobsen said. “I remember running at the Iowa Games, which is just a meet where little kids can compete. They have a track meet with all of the elementary schools … , and it was really fun to run with all of my friends at that.”

During Jacobsen’s sophomore year, he met coach and mentor Austin West ’18 during winter conditioning. They grew closer as West continued to coach during the regular track season. 

“He’s just a really down-to-earth guy. He was there helping out all of the kids at winter training sessions. I don’t think he was getting paid or anything; he just came to help out because that’s just the kind of guy he is,” Jacobsen said.

During his high school career, West set three school records in the long jump, 400 hurdles and sprint medley relay. Now competing as a Division I track athlete at the University of Iowa, West participates in a 10-activity event known as the decathlon. 

“My track story started in high school. I really started taking it seriously in my sophomore year. I was a sprinter and ran 200s and 400s. It seemed like every year after that, I added one event,” West said. “I learned how to hurdle my junior year and then added the long jump my senior year. I didn’t want to just run every single day, so I figured that the decathlon would be a good stepping stone … It’s worked out so far.” 

With West being a well-known figure in the track and field program at West High, Jacobsen was already familiar with the name ‘Austin West’ prior to meeting him. 

“I had seen his name in the [West High] record books a lot. I looked up to him already and started chasing his marks. But I had never met him before,” Jacobsen said.

With his return to the Trojan track, West has big plans for Jacobsen.

“I want him to take down my school record. Last year was fun because he was learning the event, but now, we can actually compare. It’s a competition where we’re both trying to take down Austin from 2018 or 2017,” West said. 

After hosting a speed clinic for West High athletes, West became more passionate about coaching while Jacobsen was looking for a mentor. 

“Aidan reached out to me and told me he was really interested in becoming a 400 hurdler. That got me more interested in coaching and being around all the kids because they’re really talented,” West said. 

During last year’s season, Jacobsen’s hard work paid off. At the Hollingsworth Relays, he set the sophomore record for the 400 hurdles at 53.82 seconds, ranking fifth in school history. 

“I wasn’t really thinking about the [sophomore] record. I did set it early on in the year, which felt really good,” Jacobsen said. “I was more focused on the overall school record than the sophomore one. It’s definitely nice to have your name on the record [board], though.”

West noticed improvement in both Jacobsen’s speed and mindset. 

“He matured a lot. You can see him get older and take a better mental approach,” West said. “He realizes that kids on his own team look up to him.” 

With Jacobsen reaching this milestone at such a young age, West’s successes continue to fuel Jacobsen’s drive to achieve more. 

“It’s really inspiring because he’s won multiple state championships and went on to the collegiate level while being an All-American and a decathlete,” Jacobsen said. “It makes me want to do the same.”

Jacobsen also sees West’s coaching as beneficial for his overall fitness and athletic goals. His experience with high-pressure meets is also helpful for Jacobsen.

“It’s really nice to have Austin’s experience running in big meets,” Jacobsen said. “Last year as a sophomore, I had never run at Drake Stadium or the state meet. It’s really helpful to have him because he’s been in those meets, and he can talk me through the nerves and the pressure and how to deal with those types of things.”

West uses his experience as a college athlete to influence his coaching style. Having a valuable coaching figure in his own life, he tries to take on that role with Jacobsen.

Coach [Joey] Woody is probably my biggest inspiration; he’s one of the biggest coaches in the country so I might steal a thing or two from him,” West said. “The aspect of coaching I try to take with Aidan [isn’t] really a dictatorship, it’s more of a democracy. I want him to play an active role in what we’re doing.

 Since last season, Jacobsen and West’s relationship has extended further than the track.

“Beyond a coach, he’s kind of like a big brother to me. We talk about a lot of things outside of track too, and it’s really nice to always have him there,” Jacobsen said.