KUTZTOWN, PA (May 7, 2010) – Justin Germani was destined to pole vault. After all, the junior leisure and sport study major couldn't help it. He was surrounded by a family full of vaulters. His brother and uncle succeeded in the event, and now Germani is doing them proud by excelling.

Thanks to a strong training regimen, Germani is one of Division II's elite pole vaulters. His clearance of 16 feet, 2.75 is ninth best in the nation and tied for first in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) along with Matthew Gallup of East Stroudsburg. Germani will try to improve his season-best clearance when the Golden Bears host the Last Chance Meet Saturday evening at University Field beginning at 5 p.m.

“Being ninth nationally is a lot higher than I thought I would stand,” Germani said. “I thought it would it take a bigger jump to get ninth. I am definitely looking forward to trying to jump my best this weekend.”

Germani did most of his best work during the summer and away from the vaulting pits. He lifted plenty of weights, worked on his technique, improved his flexibility and ran numerous sprints while sweat ran down his face. The hard work is paying dividends for Germani, who is a solid favorite to capture gold at next week's PSAC Championship meet.

Of course, being a pole vaulter, Germani enjoys the adrenaline rush of being hurled nearly two stories in the air and back to earth in MACH-like speed. When Germani is in the air, he's focused on other things besides feeling the soft blue cushion waiting for him after he clears the yellow plastic bar.

“I just to try to hit positions,” Germani said. “I am not really thinking about landing. If I am in the pit deep enough, then I just worry about getting over the bar. If I get over the bar, I am just falling and nothing is really going through my mind. Pole vaulting is a lot of fun. Just being able to run down and bending a pole that shoots you in the air is a thrill.”

Germani has been pole vaulting since he was in seventh grade. He enjoys the sport. Germani has received a boost from senior teammate Will Hodges, who won the PSAC Indoor crown in the event and earned All-American honors. The pair has pushed each other to greater heights during the season. With one more year remaining in the maroon-and-gold, Germani has plenty of time to cement his legacy.

Germani wants to attend graduate school and become a physical education teacher. Just maybe somebody will continue to carry on the Germani family pole vaulting tradition.

“I've been working out harder and put a lot more dedication into pole vaulting since my freshman year here,” Germani said. “It's great to have Will here because we feed off each other. We try to help each other. I don't think I would've jumped this high if he wasn't here. I want to win PSACs next weekend and move up the national list.”

--KU--