Willer Shatters National Youth Record

Courtesy: NU Media Relations
Release: 07/25/2008

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Natalie Willer easily clearing the bar at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
View larger Courtesy: Jeremy Foote/Huskers.com

Natalie Willer easily clearing the bar at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

Omaha, Neb. – Fans at the 42nd Annual USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships had the pleasure of watching one of the top young pole vaulters in the nation on Friday at Burke Stadium in Omaha, Neb. Elkhorn, Neb., native and current Husker Natalie Willer, won the young women’s pole vault with a new National Youth record vault of 13-9 3/4 (4.21).

 

She broke the National record by four and one-half inches as the record was previous held by Kira Costa who vaulted 13-5 1/4 (4.10) in 2003. Willer shattered the meet record by over a foot, as the previous mark was set last year by Melissa Gergel who vaulted 12-9 1/2 (3.90). The mark is third all time outdoors at Nebraska, trailing Brysun Stately (14-3 1/4) and Jenny Green (13-11 1/4).

 

"I felt real relaxed competeing here (Burke Stadium) and that definitely helped," responded Willer when asked how much it helped competeing at a track she had competed at many times in high school.

 

"The record was in the back of my mind," said Willer when asked how it felt to break the National Youth record. "I just wanted to go out in my last Junior Olympics and do my best."

 

The sophomore to be had an immediate impact on the Husker track and field team in her freshman year. She finished runner up at both the Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Championships, falling short to Kate Sultanova of Kansas who has no eligibility remaining. Willer ended her freshman year with a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships where she was unable to advance past the preliminaries.