Pole vaulters look to soar in Ames

Big 12 Indoor Championships Preview

By Jessica Stovall, Texas Media Relations

Texas pole vaulters are looking to bring a confident presence to the 2014 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships. New coaching and the integration of men and women during practices have keyed the record-breaking indoor regular season.

Junior Kaitlin Petrillose and sophomore Reese Watson plan to build on early bar clearances at the two-day meet in Ames, Iowa. Tuning out the crowd and focusing solely on the bar has helped both vaulters succeed and led to the desire for more.

"I just want to get the first bar on the first attempt and everything else will flow afterwards," Petrillose said. "Of course, I expect more, but you never know what's going to happen until the day of. It's mind games and if you just put yourself at clearing the first bar then you'll be set."

"Once you clear the first bar then you can start pole vaulting – that's how it goes," Watson said.

Petrillose and Watson, who will both be in action Friday at the Lied Recreation Center, set indoor personal records already this season at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. Petrillose reached 14-7 1/4 (4.45 m) which snapped her own UT indoor record and ranks her second nationally. Watson's clearance of 17-9 3/4 (5.43 m) now stands as his personal best and puts him tied for 14th nationally.

The new field events coach, Ty Sevin, can be thanked for the conditioning he has provided the vaulters and the programs he has implemented to push each athlete to higher levels of competitiveness. Sevin works closely with every individual to focus on what they need for personal growth.

"Ty is a great pole vault coach and has coached many Olympians in the past. He knows the program and knows it so well that he can nitpick little things that can be geared toward me and not another athlete but in the end get successful vaults for everyone," Petrillose said. "He builds our workout for us individually. I'll do more speed and power versus lifting heavy weights and trying to bulk because I need the speed because I'm already strong enough right now."

For the first season in Texas track and field history, the coaches began intermingling men and women at practice. Rather than a casual hello in passing, the athletes have been able to feed off one another on a more supportive track.

Sevin enjoys the changes and embraces the challenges of his new position. An interest invested in each individual athlete has given him the opportunity to propel more success, regardless their gender.

"I treat the athletes not as men and women, they're individuals," Sevin said. "Each individual needs something different, so our practices are tailored to make sure that each athlete gets what they need to be successful within the group dynamic. I can't even imagine a program being split because the majority of the successful programs in this country are united men and women."

Coming off an injury that set back his 2013 season, junior Mark Thomas has faced struggles regaining his groove but also the pleasure of working with Sevin to rehabilitate at the vault and compete in 2014.

"It's been a struggle during the beginning because I've changed a lot of my form with Ty, for the better of course, but it's taking a little bit to get used to it," Thomas said. "Each meet has been getting smoother and more fluid."

With the championships around the corner, the pole vaulters have been winding down their routine to be fully healthy and ready when the time comes for winning vaults. A combination of continued progress and achievement with Sevin's new programs and preparation schedules for the athletes have given the UT vaulters the tools necessary to advance and reach the top of the podium in Iowa. Sevin is looking for a sweep of success across the roster.

Along with Watson and Thomas, senior Hayden Clark is expected to be a key contributor on the men's side. He was injured all of last season, but is a four-time All-Big 12 performer who has cleared more than 17 feet twice this season.

"I think Mark and Hayden could easily be there at that top spot," Sevin said. "The conference is so jam-packed at the top that you could probably go down to 7th or 8th and anybody could win it. It's in our best interest to go there and compete at a high level because it could be the event that could help us for the title, and I don't count anybody out."

The men chase each other's vaults and use other teammate's clearances along with their own personal bests as motivation to do better every time.

"We could actually go one, two, and three. It's going to come down to the misses and makes," Thomas said.

Petrillose will be seeking the fourth straight pole vault title for the UT women and will potentially become the only woman with three consecutive league titles. She swept the 2013 Big 12 indoor and outdoor crowns. Along with Sevin's confidence in Petrillose, he looks forward to bringing freshmen Alyssa Gullo and Anne Harwig on the trip for the women's team and first-year performer Noah Zorsky for the men.

"Each opportunity that they go on is a chance for them to get better and learn more about their pole vaulting," Sevin said. "It's a great experience and it would be a huge thing for them to be able to score and letter. I'm excited for them to have the opportunity for the first time to go to the Big 12 Championship and compete against the best pole vaulters in the country."

With the Texas men looking to defend its team title and the women hoping to reach the top after being edged by Kansas at last season's Big 12 Indoor meet, the pole vault is a table setter. It is the first scored event on the women's side and second for the men.

Not looking at the championships as anything more than another day pushing to be better at the beloved sport, the vaulters are prepared to be calm and collected and make bar clearances that will help UT track and field reach the number one spot overall.

"I expect the same thing from the athletes that I expect on a daily basis – for them to come ready to compete, to be prepared, and to go through the process just like we go through it every day," Sevin said. "Everything comes down to preparation, and when they step on the track they need to know in the back of their mind that they have done the work already and now is the time to go in and realize the results from their hard work. If they do the things that they're supposed to do, they will come out on top."

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics