By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a long injury battle, Michael Hoffer is once again feeling like the same athlete that captured four gold medals in a dominating performance for Shawnee Heights in the 2018 state track and field championships.
And that's not only good news for Hoffer, but for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
A 7-foot-plus high jumper in high school, Hoffer fought an injury to his right knee throughout his first couple of years at Nebraska, but recently concluded a breakout indoor season for the Huskers with a second-place finish in the high jump at 6-11 in last weekend's Big 10 Conference meet at Geneva, Ohio.
"I definitely feel like I'm becoming my old self again for sure,'' Hoffer, who finished either first or secord in all five of the Huskers' indoor meets, said in a phone interview.
Nebraska junior Mikey Hoffer is coming off a runner-up finish in the high jump at the Big 10 Indoor Championships last weekend. [Nebraska.com]
A three-time Class 5A high jump champion for Shawnee Heights, Hoffer started experiencing knee problems shortly after arriving in Lincoln, starting a lengthy battle to get healthy.
:"Going into the fall semester of my freshman year I got really bad patellar tendinopathy and it stuck around for all of my freshman year and going into sophomore year,'' Hoffer said. "I had several procedures and I even had surgery on it the summer after my freshman year and it wasn't until the COVID season hit (last spring) that I had a lot of time to rehabilitate and focus on the proper regimen to get my knee better and I've been able to go into this full season healthy, which is amazing.''
While trying to fight through his injury, Hoffer was jumping several inches lower than he jumped in high school, which Hoffer said was a struggle.
"It definitely took a mental toll on me the last couple of years not being able to jump what I was reaching at the tail end of my senior year and I know I'm capable of way more than what I've been able to do,'' Hoffer said. "But I know that after this Big 10 meet that as soon as I get over that 7-foot mark, which I feel like is a huge mental barrier, that it's only up from there.
"I'm really excited for this outdoor season because I just know a lot of great things are about to come. The biggest thing in college is that everyone is super talented and amazing and you've really got to grind to try and finish high at these meets and to come out this season and have a really good indoor season and finish in those high places, it really does feel good.''
And Hoffer also still feels really good about his decision to go to Nebraska. A junior academically, Hoffer will still have two more seasons of eligibility following this season.
"I love it up here,'' Hoffer said. "There's definitely some challenges with any place you go to, but despite the adversity, I think I made the right decision and I love it here.
"And I'm just getting started.''
