Known for his speed as a running back in middle school football, Jayce Brown found something different in his second season with the Harlan County High School track team as a freshman.

“After the first year of running, I saw people practicing the pole vault and thought it looked like fun,” Brown said.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Brown finished second in the state in the pole vault as both a sophomore and junior and finished fifth this season to become one of the most successful track athletes in HCHS history. He was a three-time regional champion and has been a part of two regional and five conference and Area 9 championship teams. He hopes to carry that success over to the next level after signing recently to continue his track career at the University of Virginia-Wise.

“The campus was very nice, and I like the way the coaches run practice. It reminded me of what coach (Ryan) Vitatoe does here,” Brown said.

Brown, who has also been a football standout in high school as a running back and defensive back, will join a former HCHS teammate at UVA-Wise with Connor Blevins. Hunter Blevins, another former HCHS teammate, recently graduated. HCHS alum Ella Karst is a basketball standout at UVA-Wise.

“I’m very happy for Jayce and this opportunity he has earned at UVA Wise. They are in the midst of rebuilding their program and have made a huge investment in track and field, and I think he will be a huge building block for them,” Vitatoe said. “He’s always been a hard worker, and he has the talent to be successful at the next level. He is one of the most technically sound vaulters I’ve ever seen, and when he combines that with the strength he’ll build at the next level, he will make huge strides. While I’m excited for him, I will definitely miss him next season. It won’t be the same without the 10-12 requests for ‘one more jump?’ each practice session. I know he’ll do great there.”