Meet St. Joe’s track standout Patrick Fehm, soaring to new heights as a ‘student’ of his event

Throughout his career at St. Joseph’s, high jumper Patrick Fehm has found himself reaching new heights.

Fehm finished with a silver medal at the Atlantic 10 indoor track and field championships in February by clearing 2.07 meters (6 feet, 9¼ inches).

The following weekend at the IC4A championships, Fehm’s 2.06-meter second attempt secured him a first-place finish.

But Fehm was not content.

“I wanted more. It’s hard not to want more in competitions, but this one, I definitely want more in terms of the mark I put up, but I was happy I was able to execute regardless, like I have in the past,” Fehm said.

This constant desire to achieve more has been his driving force.

From the moment Fehm, a Penn Charter graduate, arrived at St. Joe’s in the fall of 2020, head coach Mike Glavin said it was clear Fehm possessed qualities vital to being successful in technique events such as the high jump.

“When he got here, it became real obvious real quickly how serious he was at being a student of his event,” Glavin said. “He really wants to know more about what he’s doing in that event.”

One of Fehm’s qualities that makes him ideal for his event: his focus.

“Jumps are so unique that no other event has what I call the mayor of disaster,” Glavin said. “Nobody puts a thing out and says, ‘If you don’t have a certain amount, you’re not allowed to finish,’ but in the high jump, the bar just comes off, and you get no credit for that job, no matter how good it was before you knocked it off.

“It’s really a very, very significantly focused event, and you couldn’t find a more focused person than Patrick to be doing it.”

In a career Glavin thinks has “progressed very nicely,” Fehm credits his coaches, his discipline, and the people around him.

“Over the years, I’ve had a lot of changes in terms of the kind of guidance I’ve had or not had in high school [and] college,” Fehm said. “I don’t want to be content, but I need to see who’s also like that, who isn’t content, who’s always looking to be better. I’m always watching the greats in my mind.”

While Fehm seeks motivation from others, his teammates are inspired by him as well. Donald Adams, a fellow jumper, said Fehm’s success has opened his teammates’ minds to new possibilities for themselves.

“He’s one example, especially on the team, where it’s like, ‘No, you can actually win conference or you could actually be pretty high in the country,’ ” Adams said. “It’s a good way for everybody just to kind of aspire and look at. It’s not impossible, and if you work hard or if you try your best, things can happen. It’s not always just because of ability. It’s about mentality.

“He’s a student of the high jump, and he’s a student of getting just better in general. That takes a lot, obviously, to be consistent at certain heights, and for him to be doing it the way he’s doing it, within the space that we’re in, it’s really impressive in my mind.”

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One of Fehm’s keys to success is his work ethic. .

“It’s the extra things that you do that you aren’t always forced to do,” Fehm said. “I think that’s the difference maker from my opponents when I’m out there. How much extra work that I put in.”

Fehm came in four years ago a hardworking and focused individual, Glavin said, but he continues to grow in his goal-setting — his coach mentioned a 7-foot jump as the target. His career high is 2.08 meters, or 6 feet, 9.9 inches.

Fehm has already begun to set larger goals for himself come outdoor season.

“I always keep the big picture in mind, so I can view my success as a lot, maybe in the conference, but when I look nationally, there’s so many greater things I aspire to,” he said.

“The marks that I’ve done, how consistent I’ve been, I see no reason why I shouldn’t be going for those kinds of competitions.”