COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Zach Schaffer began last season a novice – a newcomer to the sport of track and field.

This time around, though, the Saint John's University junior long jumper starts the year as the defending MIAC indoor and outdoor champion in his event.

"I wouldn't have believed that could be possible," said Schaffer of his incredible debut. "There was so much form and technique I had to learn. I never imagined I'd be able to pick up on it that quickly."

Schaffer was indeed a quick study, taking the conference by storm with a leap of 6.70 meters (21-11 ¾ feet) to win the MIAC indoor title last February, then turning in a jump of 6.98 meters (22-11) to claim first place at the conference outdoor meet in May.

All in all, a pretty impressive first act.

"I'd have a bunch of people coming up to me at every meet we went to last season asking where this kid came from," junior teammate Alec Ungar said. "They were all amazed at what he was doing."

It was Ungar who played a key role in making that happen.

The back story:

Schaffer, a Chaska High School graduate, and Ungar, who graduated from nearby Chanhassen, were teammates in AAU basketball from their sophomore through senior years. Both chose to attend SJU – Ungar for track and field and Schaffer to play basketball.

But Schaffer's freshman season in 2021-22 was hampered by a series of injuries to his right ankle.

"The first injury was just a really bad sprain," he recalls. "I recovered enough to get back for one game and that's when I tore two of my ligaments."

The frustrating experience convinced Schaffer college basketball might not be in the cards. Ungar, meanwhile, lived next door to him on campus and went to work convincing him to give track and field a try.

"I knew he was really fast and really strong," Ungar said. "I felt like it would be a good fit."

Schaffer's ankle injury made joining the team impossible as a freshman, but the following fall Ungar – who now lived one floor up – went back to work, finally convincing Schaffer to give it a shot when the indoor season began in January.

"It was frustrating at first because I didn't know what I was doing," said Schaffer, who now lives with Ungar and others. "But my teammates and my event coach (Joe Vardas) helped me a ton. As I began to get more and more comfortable with the technique, it started to be something I really enjoyed."

The breakthrough moment came at the indoor Maverick Invitational in Mankato almost exactly one year ago. Schaffer recorded a personal-best leap of 6.88 meters (up from 6.56 the week before) to finish fourth overall and first among all Division III entrants in the event.

"That's when my coach and I realized I might be capable of some pretty big jumps," he said. "Things started to take off from there."

And they've yet to come down since. He started this season by winning the event at a triangular meet held in Collegeville on Jan. 27, then finished second (first among Division III entrants) with a leap of 6.90 meters at the Minnesota Gopher Classic on Feb. 7 in Minneapolis.

He built on that with a first-place jump of 6.92 meters at the seven-team Saint John's Invitational last Saturday.

"No. 1, he's a natural athlete," Vardas said. "There are times you get guys coming out for the team for the first time who say they're fast and think they can jump, but they really can't. He could.

"I wasn't sure what to expect until I saw him on the runway one day and realized he accelerated really well. He has a lot of natural ability. But beyond that, he picks things up really quickly. If you're around him at practice, you see his intensity. He wants to soak up everything he can. He's always asking 'Is this right? Is this right?' He's constantly striving for perfection."

Those are traits first picked up on by Ungar, who again demonstrated a keen eye for talent this year by recruiting former Johnnie baseball player Jackson McDowell, a junior from Centennial, Colo.

McDowell won the high jump in SJU's first meet this season and has continued to impress since.

"I tell the coaches that if I were them, I'd be sending me everywhere they could to scout," Ungar said with a laugh.

Still, even he admits to being amazed by what Schaffer has been able to accomplish in the span of just one year.

"I knew he'd be good, but I didn't expect him to be this dominant right away," he said. "I'd love to take credit, but there's no way anyone could have known he'd win conference titles his very first season."

Now that he has, though, what does Schaffer do for an encore?

"I'd like to see if I can hit a qualifying jump to make it to nationals both indoors and outdoors," he said. "That's the next goal. But the main thing I'm focused on is doing what I can to help the team. We want to win a conference title (at the MIAC indoor meet Feb. 23-24 in Northfield), then win again (for a third-straight season) at the conference outdoor meet (May 10-11 at Hamline in St. Paul).

"That's something everyone on this team is working toward."