Nebraska pole vaulters attribute success to team unity

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Pole vaulters attribute success to team unity
By: Joe Trapp

Issue date: 4/4/07 Section: Sports

Part of what makes Nebraska a perennial track powerhouse is the way it functions as an assembly line. Each individual squad does its work, and before long you have a finished product.

Or in the case of the Cornhuskers, another meet title.

The Husker pole vaulters boast three All-Americans, but sometimes even they aren't the most integral part of the unit.

Nic Petersen, a senior from Omaha, is a leader who knows all about what it takes to have an NCAA national team, even though he hasn't quite made it there himself.

A big part of NU's continued success, Petersen said, is unity.

"Day in and day out we're out here practicing as a team, and we're all pushing for each other," Petersen said. "We're so deep - we have talent across the board in every single event.

"We compete as a team, not as individuals."

Petersen has made enormous strides since setting foot on campus back in 2003. As a freshman, he set what was then his career-best height of 16 feet, 3/4 inches. Last season he broke the 17-foot barrier in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

For the first time this outdoor year, NU will be in full force. Sprinters, jumpers and a couple throwers will be competing in the Texas Relays, which starts today at Mike Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.

"It's always important to get off to a good start," said NU Distance Coach Jay Dirksen. "The better start you have, theoretically, the better you should be at the end of the season. And it helps with confidence to start well."

Nebraska will also send distance runners and various other athletes not competing at the Texas Relays to the Emporia Relays, held in Emporia, Kan., on Saturday.

The Texas Relays will also mark the first time Petersen will compete officially this year, after sitting out the indoor season because of exhausted eligibility.

Competing with Petersen in the men's pole vault will be All-American senior Gable Baldwin and freshman Seth Burney.

Petersen will be attempting to qualify for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, which begin May 25, for the fourth time in his career. Qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, something he's never done, is also on his radar.

"I think they're good," said Petersen of his chances on reaching nationals. "That's definitely something I plan on doing.

There's a little extra motivation, too, considering he said he was among the first competitors who didn't qualify for the meet last season.

"It was really frustrating," Petersen said, "to miss out on that and be that close."