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But Davis, a senior, has blossomed at Purdue, particularly in his final season. During high school and in the early years in West Lafayette, Davis might be best described as an athletic freak who would simply run and flop himself over the bar. It worked some, but only recently has he taken it to the higher level. The coaching change helped. After last season, Warner resigned as the track and field coach, with Purdue bringing in Lonnie Greene, a longtime assistant at powerhouse Arkansas, as its program's new boss. Davis, who had finished 15th at the NCAAs in 2012, welcomed the change. After battling injury and frustration during parts of his Purdue career, Davis at one point contemplated a change of scenery. "When I was thinking about leaving it was more because of the atmosphere of the track team wasn't what I wanted it to be," he said. "It wasn't as competitive as I would have liked it to be. I just felt like if I wanted to reach the new Senior Geoff Davis levels that I wanted to hit I would have to do it somewhere else. "But sticking around has been the right decision. (The staff) has done an incredible job of turning the program around, definitely in the right direction." Davis has clicked with his new jumps coach, Berry Shumpert, who was an associate head coach for six years at Coastal Carolina before becoming part of Greene's staff at Purdue. "We just feel like we're going in the right direction," Davis said. "We keep improving every day in practice and we have good, hard training sessions. I'm very happy with the atmosphere that we've created together. "The biggest difference is that Shump stresses the fine details. Whereas my old coach, he was a big movement coach. … Shump is not going to let you get away with the little things that will throw you off in the long run. It's helped me a lot." But Davis' own will to improve is one of his biggest assets. Both his mother and Shumpert described Davis as highly driven. "Some you have to provide direction and give them meals along the way," Shumpert said. "But Geoff is a low-maintenance kid who doesn't require a lot because his focus is so strong. The challenge when I came, because Geoff had already done some pretty special things at the Big Ten and national levels, was for us to get on the same page. And then kind of set the course for achieving new success. "… Our goal coming in was to develop communication so we could understand each other, then let Geoff do what he does best, which is jump without inhibition. Because with an athlete like Geoff, you've just got to prepare him, then let him do what he does best." Davis has high hopes for the rest of the season. The Big Ten Outdoor Championships are in early May, then the NCAAs are about a month later. A podium finish there would be ideal, but it'll likely require at least a couple more inches of height. Shumpert, though, thinks Davis can get there. "He's developing a better sense of awareness in his approach, a better sense of awareness in his take-off position and a better sense of awareness in flight," Shumpert said. "That's been the challenge, the more technical piece. There are a lot of jumpers that are athletic, but it's the combination of being a student of your event and athleticism, that's what takes you to the next level. "That's what we're honing into this year." A big finish this season would PURDUE PRIDE "I feel more like I do high jump now. Not like I just go out there and jump. I'm not just a guy being athletic and jumping over the bar." Warren Hill, ME '63 Jim Hill, MET '95, MBA '03 Jim Billard, LA '90 Brian Teyema, ME '87 Scott Dierking, IM '77 Russ Nelson, BCM '00 David Pikey, PH '97 Angela Billard, ED '90 Bill Silfies, MBA '03 Nick Muscolino, MET '06 Matthew Crawford, MET '05 Bob Hill, BCM '06 Ryan Stojkovich, BS '97 Mike Ivanovic, AS '81 Anthony Borgnini, ME '07 Anthony Camasta, MET '04 Beth Beigelbeck, SM '97 Deborah Toth, MET '07 Daniel Block, ME '08 Daniel Gasser, BS '04 Jason Jones, MET '08 Nick Johnson, BCM '09 Bryan O'Neill, BCM '09 Steven Sitkowski, BCM '10 Chris Summers, ME '10 Isaac Townsend, ME '10 Don Wunderlich, ME '13 Chris Gushurst, BCM '11 Joe Motuliak, MBA '11 Taylor Spaulding, ME '12 Grant Fillipatch, MET '12 Jessica James, BS '13 Robert C Krier, MET '13 Andy Mack, BS '15 Kevin Morrisroe, ME '15 Michael Rish, BCM '13 Martin Smith, MET '13 be a nice end to a college career that almost never got off the ground, particularly after his failed state championship meet as a senior. "He just thought that was the end," Yolanda Davis said. "But it actually turned around in his favor. He's a go-getter, so if you tell him he can't, Geoffrey will." j We're proud to be Illinois' largest HVAC contractor and to have 37 outstanding Purdue alumni on our HVAC/Plumbing team. THE HILL GROUP CARLE HOSPITAL – Urbana, IL The Hill Group was chosen for the HVAC, medical gas piping, plumbing, fire protecton, test and balance, and commissioning for this new nine-story, 378,000 square foot hospital. hillgrp.com GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 28 • 21