Lincoln-Way East sophomore Nate Jackson doesn’t remember the first time he got up on a diving board.
But his parents do, and it has become the stuff of family legend.
“I grew up in Prestwick, and Prestwick has a diving board,” Jackson said of his neighborhood in Frankfort. “I think I was about 3 years old.
“My parents took me and they said I refused to go off the diving board initially, but that one day, I stood there by myself and just jumped off. So then they put me in swim lessons and diving lessons, and it took off from there.”
What made Jackson finally take the plunge?
“To be honest with you, I don’t remember standing up there at 3 years old,” Jackson said. “I don’t know, but something inside of me felt right to be on a diving board, I guess.”
A dozen years later, a lot is going right for Jackson, who made program history with his performance at the boys swimming state meet Saturday at FMC Natatorium in Westmont.
Jackson became the first diver in program history to earn a state medal by taking fifth place with 481.30 points. Highland Park senior Noam Kulbak, a Penn State recruit, won the state title with 531.30.
“He did fantastic,” Lincoln-Way East coach Steve Anderson said of Jackson. “He’s been great all year long, and I think in his own head he knew all I have to do was go out and do what I’ve done at every other meet this year.”
Which is dominate. Jackson set personal, program and sectional records by winning the sectional the Griffins hosted with a whopping 612.05 points. That was 25.3 more than Kulbak, who had the second-highest total in the sectional.
A repeat performance at state would have shattered the Illinois record of 569.50, which can only be set at the state finals.
But Jackson battled a back injury all week and competed through pain.
“One day, I woke up and I had a sharp pain,” Jackson said. “I refused to go to the doctor until after (the state meet) because I knew he’d tell me I can’t compete.
“So I’m proud of myself for powering through and getting here and placing in the top 5.”
Jackson qualified for state as a freshman but did not advance to finals. He wasn’t used to competing in front of such a large crowd, but he has since acclimated himself to the process.
“I did not do well last year,” Jackson said. “I just feel much better coming back.
“(The big crowd) is kind of rare. Last year wasn’t so good, but I took that experience as a learning opportunity. I can come back out here now and feel great about my dives and confidence.”
Jackson was in fourth place after Friday’s preliminary rounds. He remained high in the standings and closed with a flourish.
“My last dive, someone told me it was the highest-scoring dive in the competition, 66 points,” Jackson said. “I learned that dive a couple months ago.”
Jackson said he began diving regularly at age 6. After taking a break during the pandemic, he started doing it competitively three years ago at Windy City Diving.
The future appears bright. Three of the four divers who finished ahead of Jackson are seniors, with only the runner-up, Nazareth junior Cooper Kosanovich, returning.
“He’s got a long background of diving,” Anderson said of Jackson. “He thoroughly loves it.
“All offseason, he’s competitive with his club and he does what he needs to. He just overall has got a great work ethic and a mentality to drive himself to be the best that he can.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
