A scrawny 5-foot, 120-pound freshman is trying out for his high school track team. He’s trying to follow the footsteps of his father, who had run the 400-meter in high school and college.

Unfortunately, he has asthma and it keeps him from attaining any running success. One day, he sees a group of pole-vaulters, who were supposed to be practicing, lying out on the mats in the sun. He figures he’ll give it a try.

That scrawny freshman is Jordan Scott. Today he’s one of the nation’s top pole-vaulters. Scott, a Watkinsville, Ga., junior, qualified for this year’s NCAA Indoor Championships back in January at the Kansas vs. Missouri dual, where he cleared the nation’s top mark of 18 feet.

This weekend Scott will focus on earning his third straight pole-vaulting crown at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

“Usually you’re looking to get better in the Big 12 each year,” Scott said. “I started out with first place and I’ve got to keep it up now.”

Scott remembers being an underdog the first time he won the title. As a freshman in 2007, Scott jumped 17-5, a personal best, to win. The following year he took the title with a jump of 18 feet.

Scott said that winning the title the second time was as good as the first, but what made both titles great was that his parents were at both of those meets.

“They fly out to as many meets as they can,” Scott said. Scott said they came out to New York to see him at the New Balance Invitational earlier this month and will travel to College Station, Texas, for the Big 12 Indoor Championships.

Scott said he was fortunate to train at the University of Georgia’s facility and attend its camps. He used that training to become a two-time Georgia Field Athlete of the Year. He holds the Georgia high school record in the pole vault (16-7) and was one of the most sought-after recruits in the state.

Universities such as Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson, Texas Tech and UCLA all tried to recruit him. But it was the pole vault program at Kansas, particularly vertical jumps coach Tom Hays, that caught Scott’s attention.

“Coach Hays is one of the best coaches in the country,” Scott said. “You know they’ve been good and they will provide for us to be able to be good again.”

On his school search, Scott noted that team success didn’t matter unless he was going to get better.

“I’m looking to individually get better instead of just being on a national championship team,” he said.

Scott also liked the fact that Lawrence was similar to his hometown of Watkinsville, which is about two hours southeast of Atlanta.

Scott had the opportunity of a lifetime last summer, competing at the Olympic trials for the 2008 Beijing Games. While warming up for the final round, Scott strained his hamstring and was unable to compete.

He may not have gotten the chance to compete for a final spot, but Scott said it was a lot of fun just being there and plans on trying out for the 2012 Olympics.

Opportunities like that only come around for the top athletes in the country, and top athlete isn’t a title Scott is used to, despite his success.

“It’s weird to think about it,” Scott said. “I always hoped I’d jump as high as I am. And now that I’m actually doing it, you always want to jump higher and higher and there’s not really any limit so I’ll never think I’m great until I’m a world-record holder.”

Scott said his next goal is to jump 19 feet. This weekend he’ll get a chance to do that and pick up a third conference championship in the process.

“Being an athlete you always think that you’re going to be the best, otherwise you’re not going to keep competing,” Scott said. “So I hoped I’d be the best and now that I’m up there close to it, you always want more.”

— — Edited by Melissa Johnson