RUSSIAVILLE -- When Brandon Youngdale decided to compete in track and field, he did what many athletes do -- he emulated another family member.

The Western High School junior, however, isn't following in the footsteps of his father or an older brother. No, he took up the high jump, the event his older sister excelled in during her career with the Panthers.

Keira Youngdale, a senior-to-be at Purdue University, set the school record in the high jump and qualified for the IHSAA Girls State Track and Field Championships. Younger brother Brandon picked off the school record earlier this season with his leap of 6 feet, 5 inches and matched the latter when he won Thursday's Kokomo Regional high jump competition.

He'll be competing in the 102nd annual boys state finals Friday at Indiana University's Robert Haugh Track and Field Complex.

"I watched my sister jump a lot. I figured if she was doing it, maybe I could too," Brandon said. "I came out here while she practiced."

As anyone with a brother or sister knows, having the younger sibling hanging around can end up being the cause of sibling arguments.

"We kind of had a different relationship than most siblings," Keira said. "We got along really well. At times, I felt he was a tagalong, but I liked it when he came out with me.

"He was just hanging around me a lot. Sometimes, I'd go out and he'd come with me. He'd goof off at first, but once he hit middle school and got into it more, I could tell he had talent."

Brandon watched, learned and came to respect what Keira accomplished.

"If she wouldn't have accomplished what she did, I wouldn't have pushed as hard. Keira worked hard her junior and senior years even though she never got to where she wanted because she was injured," Brandon said. "She had a good attitude about it which I respected.

"Once I reached high school, Dad made me practice harder. He saw that I would do well if I practiced hard."

Brandon got off to a good start in 2004, but ran into trouble that he was never able to overcome.

"I reached 6-2 in the first meet and a couple meets later, I got 6-3," he said. "But, then we jumped at Peru before the sectional. I jumped 5-8 and slipped. I couldn't get my focus back after that and at the sectional, I only got back to 5-10. It was a mental block."

Coming into this season, father Skip, who coached both children, offered a reminder: "That was last year."

"He kept telling me to focus on this year," Brandon said. "I was shooting to get the high jump record. My sister and I have it and that was something to shoot for.

"Another thing I wanted was going undefeated through the sectional. To win the regional, that was just a plus."

Keira, who started jumping at a fifth-grade track and field day, would come home from college and help Brandon out.

"Now, he could probably give me a few pointers," she said. "It's amazing. I'm so happy for him and I'm happy for my parents. They think it's incredible, something really unique.

"Brandon definitely saw his potential his freshman and sophomore years. With him, it's always mental. That's the only thing that can drag him down. He finally came out of that this year and I knew he could go far this year."

Brandon realizes that as well. After winning the regional, he noted how he lost his focus at the end of the competition once he knew he'd already won. With Friday's competition, he knows that will change.

"It will be good competition and I'll be pushed. My goal is to get my personal record of 6-6," he said. "It's going to be better competition and there will be a bigger crowd. That will get the adrenaline pumping and that will help.

"This is a good opportunity to go so I know what to expect in my senior year. I'm looking to do well. If I'm not on, I won't take it to heart because I'll always have next year."