In one of the most electric competitions of last weekend’s PIAA Track and Field Championships, Northwestern Lehigh’s Gavin Nelson rose to the moment and landed on the podium with a silver medal in the Class 3A high jump.

Nelson cleared 6 feet, 8 inches on his second attempt Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium, securing second place in a final headlined by a state-record performance from Dallastown’s Jalen Cook.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Nelson, who entered seeded tied for second. “Just to be able to come out here and compete and get the second-place medal — I’m really happy with that.”

Cook won the event with a PIAA-record clearance of 7-3, hitting 6-11, 7-1 and 7-3 on his first attempts before narrowly missing at 7-5 on all three tries.

Nelson and Owen J. Roberts’ Declan Gallagher both cleared 6-6 on their second attempts, but after Gallagher cleared 6-7 on his first try, Nelson passed. At 6-8, Nelson’s second-attempt clearance and Gallagher’s third secured Nelson the runner-up finish after both failed to clear 6-9 on three tries.

The result capped a stellar senior season that included Colonial League and District 11 titles for the Tiger senior. It also marked his second career state medal after finishing third in Class 2A last season.

“I think I might have tried to change some things from my run-up — maybe my form didn’t feel as great today as it had before,” said Nelson. “But it’s all learning experiences. You take it in and grow from it.”

Nelson will continue his track and field career at Monmouth University, and hopes to leave behind a legacy for younger athletes at Northwestern.

“I know we have a freshman jumper,” he said. “I hope to pass on some of my knowledge to him so that he can get to this stage one day and hopefully place at states, too.”