Brynn Rychlik clears the pole vault bar for the Marysville Lady Monarchs during a 2021 meet. Rychlik is recovering from a broken wrist before returning to the University of Akron.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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If you listened to Brynn Rychlik go over her list of injuries, you’d think it would be better for her to just try walking instead of participating in sports.
“Let’s see, I’ve broken my back twice, have had a couple of knee surgeries and punctured a lung after breaking a rib,” she said.
“Oh… I also had a bleeding kidney because of the punctured lung.”
That list, which came during competition in gymnastics and track and field, would leave a health insurer’s head spinning.
Those misfortunes, however, haven’t prevented Rychlik from becoming a pretty good athlete.
Rychilk is a 2021 Marysville High School graduate. During her senior season, she set a new Lady Monarch record in the pole vault at 13-3.
She finished her high school career by placing sixth during the Division I state meet.
She was able to accomplish her senior season goals despite suffering the punctured lung and broken rib in the fall of 2020.
“I fell in the box while I was practicing the pole vault,” she said. “It took about eight weeks before I could get back to it, but I was back fulltime in December of 2020.”
That recovery led to a stellar senior season of vaulting.
Rychlik took her pole vaulting prowess to the University of Akron upon graduation from Marysville.
But guess what?
You got it… she suffered another injury.
“I broke my right wrist in three pieces and absolutely destroyed a ligament,” said Rychlik.
The injury occurred on Feb. 11 of this year during an indoor pole vault meet at Kent State University.
“My pole bent the wrong way,” said Rychlik. “It went right instead of going left and shot me off the pit.”
The injury caused her to miss her entire freshman outdoor season this past spring.
Rychlik had done pretty well during her indoor meets prior to the injury.
“I went 13-0 once last winter and hit 12-10 ¾ a few other times.”
Rychlik attracted the attention of Akron coaches after competing on the Lady Monarch track and field team all four years of high school.
She also participated in gymnastics for three seasons. That’s where her injury bug started.
“Gymnastics and pole vault….” she laughed. “I guess I just like to be upside down.”
Although Rynchlik wasn’t able to compete during the 2022 outdoor track campaign at Akron, she did remain active.
“I did a lot of running this spring to keep in shape,” she said. “My grip strength isn’t there yet, so I can’t work on bending the pole.
“It’s like I’m basically re-learning how to vault.”
Rynchlik feels her off-season work will prepare her for the 2022-23 indoor season, in which she will be a sophomore.
Barring any other injuries, she will return to the outdoor team next spring as a freshman, since she had to sit out her entire 2022 outdoor campaign.
When that happens, she will not longer be an exclusive pole vaulter.
“One of the Akron coaches came up to me this past spring and said ‘you look like a javelin thrower,’” said Rychlik.
That was a bit of a head-scratcher for the former Lady Monarch.
“I’ve never thrown the javelin in my life, since it’s not an event in high school track and field,” she said.
“And besides, I wasn’t cleared in time to compete in anything as far as the spring outdoor season.”
Once workouts begin for the 2023 outdoor campaign, Rychlik will once again be flying over the pole vault bar.
However, she’ll also see how far she can launch a collegiate javelin, which must weigh at least 800 grams (roughly shy of two pounds).
“I’ll give it a try,” said Rychlik.
“She also hopes she has more success avoiding injuries.
Maybe her college choice of study – exercise science – will help her with that.