The silence inside the Lied Fitness Center located at College of St. Mary’s near the pole vault pit was so heavy you could almost hear the anticipation everyone held, right until the moment senior Kendall Vanicek cleared the bar at 14 feet, 10 inches– a meet record.
With that single, gravity-defying leap on a Friday afternoon, Vanicek didn’t just win the meet and break the meet’s record, he erased a school record that had stood since 2018. As he tumbled into the foam pit, the stunned quiet evaporated into a roar from the surrounding viewers, marking a historic afternoon for the track and field program.
“I remember seeing the bar and knowing I didn’t even touch it, so it wasn’t a question whether I cleared it, but it was such a blur I don’t even know how I felt,” Vanicek said.
However, this was not Vanicek’s first time achieving the school record, as he had actually matched it before when it stood at 14 feet, 6 inches, alongside his former teammate Dylan Headrick and the record creator Jacob Reinhardt.
“That 14’6″ wall has been there for a while. To see Kendall break through this wall this early in the season has really motivated our other vaulters to step up their game as well,” Boys Head Coach Michael Edmunson said.
“Kendall is a winner, and that is just good for the program and getting the other vaulters to buy into what it takes to be a champion,” Edmunson said.
Vanicek began pole vaulting inspired by his older brother, Zach, who vaulted his freshman year, stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic, then picked it back up and continued through until the end of his senior year. Zach now vaults at the South Dakota School of Mines, of which Vanicek recently committed to for the same event.
When Vanicek got cut from baseball, he had to do a sport (house rule), and with no urge to run long distances, pole vault was the next best thing. Who knew just four years later he would be changing the vault team for the better?
“This is definitely in my top 10,” Edmunson said.
“I have been coaching track for 31 years and have seen some amazing things, but our pole vault has really just developed in the last couple of years. Seeing someone go almost 15 feet is an incredible feat. The speed and coordination it takes to do this event can not be taken for granted, so seeing his energy that day, I knew he would do it,” Edmunson said.
Vanicek continued this acknowledgment by saying, “It was one of my better jumps of the day, although I was diving down through my plant when you want to be tall, jumping up. I recovered, lined up with the pole, and just tried to pike off so I didn’t hit it [the bar].”
With pole vault being such a technical sport, it is not uncommon for these athletes to psych themselves out, so finding your inner peace is an important skill to acquire.
“I was just thinking about little cues like jumping up and swinging my hips through [when on the runway waiting to jump], but other than that I try to clear my head and not think or I will psych myself out and not jump or run well,” Vanicek said.
On the record-breaking day, Vanicek came in wanting to PR, and that he did, but not without an ominous cloud looming above his head.
“I had known before that it [the jump] wouldn’t count [as breaking the school record] because the same situation happened with my brother a few years ago,” Vanicek noted.
This left a bittersweet taste in the air, as seemingly Kendall’s hard work hadn’t actually counted, but Coach Edmunson and Girls Head Coach Shaun Tevis decided to make it count and tell Vanicek he had conquered the record.
“The first person I wanted to tell was my brother because he’s really supported me through these past years and even helped coach me when I needed it, but I did immediately run off the pit and hug my dad because my parents are 100% my biggest supporters. They are always there. My dad doesn’t miss a meet, and all I ever want to do is make him proud,” Vanicek said.
Even with this great achievement, pole vault is one of the first events to occur at a meet; thus, there were only a few teammates able to witness this phenomenon.
“Field events are always early in the meet, and these first few meets, we are not traveling as a team. So, I was a little sad that our whole team was not there yet to witness. With that being said, we know he is not done breaking records, so as we move into the heart of the season, I know his team will rally around him at the meets and that energy will be amazing,” Edmunson added.
“We always believed he had the potential to go higher. We really feel that he will be a 15 foot vaulter this year and are super excited to see this happen,” Edmunson said.
Vanicek seems to have the same idea in mind to hit that 15-foot mark. He said he also hopes to become the All-Class state champion and would love to see himself breaking the Class A record in vault held by Brett Maher from Kearney in 2008.
Ultimately, Vanicek’s philosophy remains rooted in the small wins, which is a necessary perspective in a sport where success is measured by fractions of an inch, and failure is a literal crash to earth. While he keeps his eyes on the 15-foot mark and the Class A state record, his internal preparation remains surprisingly grounded. According to the new record-holder, the secret to defying gravity and rewriting history isn’t just mental strength or technical precision, but one final, non-negotiable piece of advice: always drink chocolate milk before a meet.
