Marysville’s Brynn Rychlik clears the pole vault bar during the recent National Indoor Championships. She placed 14th in the country. (Photo submitted)
A Marysville High School pole vaulter recently placed 14th in the country.
Senior Brynn Rychlik cleared 12-1.2 during the National Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach.
Rychlik is one of a number of Monarch athletes who have competed during indoor meets this season.
Those meets are used to prepare the program for the spring outdoor campaign.
“This indoor season presented many unique challenges because of limited meets, winter weather and space for practices,” said MHS head coach Luke Sundermeier. “As a result, we focused on laying a strong foundation of general fitness and did not focus as much on the competitions.”
Indoor meets were limited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sundermeier, however, said he was happy with the indoor participation.
“Overall, our distance group numbered around 30 or so athletes who ran almost 7,000 miles between December and February to prepare for the spring season,” he said. “They are a strong and consistent group.
“The sprinters, jumpers and throwers started their conditioning sessions in January and have had a solid group of around 30-40 athletes,” said the coach. “They are learning important movement patterns and settling in at the new facility.”
The new Marysville track and field facility was ready for the 2020 outdoor season.
The schedule, however, was canceled due to COVID-19.
Rychlik has company in the girls pole vault event with her sister, Jackie.
“Brynn and Jackie have been working extremely hard to develop their skills as elite pole vaulters,” said Sundermeier. “They spent the spring and early summer working on their speed and strength at home, utilizing climbing ropes and various at-home exercise equipment.
“As things reopened, they took advantage of some additional opportunities to vault and compete throughout the indoor season,” he said. “Both have progressed quickly and have been consistently vaulting against top-notch competition.”
The sisters will vault during today’s indoor state championships.
That event will be held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The MHS girls’ 4 x 800 relay team of Bryn Hothem, Ava Elliott, Emerson Bautsch and Katie Krueger will also compete during the meet.
Sundermeier anticipates a large number of athletes for the 2021 spring outdoor season.
“We are looking at around 150 athletes combined on the girls and boys teams this spring,” he said. “Many are new to the sport, so the initial goal is to get through some testing to help sort everyone into the appropriate event group and prepare for the upcoming season.”