Matheny and Mikula vault to national titles for Ithaca College

In track and field, it’s rare enough for two athletes from the same school to win national championships. It’s even more unique that both athletes triumphed in the same event and come from the same county. That’s the case for a duo of pole vaulters on the Hill.

On May 26, Ithaca College’s Meghan Matheny and Dom Mikula secured national titles in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships at St. John Fisher University in Rochester. For Lansing native Matheny, this is now her third career women’s pole vault crown. But this one felt even more special since it was her final competition as a Bomber.

“This is a little different than the other two that I won just because I know that I’m done now,” Matheny said. “My track career at IC came to a close, so more things have had to sink in. I had a blast watching the last day of nationals with the rest of my team. I’m just kind of soaking it in and enjoying it.”

As for Trumansburg native Mikula, he achieved his first career national title in some style. The senior’s mark of 5.05 meters set a facility record at St. John Fisher. Going into the meet, Mikula sensed that his outing in Rochester would be a memorable one.

“I was feeling really energetic, really ready to go,” Mikula said. “It was a great feeling going into the day. It was very warm out, so the weather conditions were perfect for it.”

This was also Mikula’s final performance for the Bombers, which gave him that extra bit of motivation to end his career in the best way imaginable.

“All week, it was kind of a hassle of trying to navigate the mental aspect of going into a meet, especially of this caliber, and that this could be my very last meet for the Bombers,” Mikula said. “I just wanted to go in and have some fun, not put any pressure on myself, be able to talk to the other competitors and kind of enjoy myself and enjoy the moment.”

Mikula and Matheny’s victories did not come with ease, as both pole vaulters faced elimination at some point during the competition. For Mikula, this came at the 4.90-meter mark after missing his first two attempts. Meanwhile Matheny did the same towards the end at 4.05 meters. Of the four pole vaulters that remained at that stage, only Matheny had previously cleared that height this season.

“I definitely felt a lot of pressure, but it was really reassuring knowing that I had jumped a centimeter higher than that,” Matheny said. “It’s also really reassuring [that] I had so many people [there]. My whole family was there. So many of my friends were there. [Assistant coach] Matt [Scheffler], my teammates, and everyone there knew that I could clear this bar, and I knew that I could.”

Matheny continued: “I try not to think too much about how if I didn’t clear it, it would be over and I would be in second. I just tried to think about how I knew that I could clear it, so going over the bar was a huge, huge relief. I was really, really hyped in that moment.”

Matheny and Mikula have continued the trend of track and field athletes from both Tompkins County and throughout Section IV who have gone on to excel at the collegiate level. It’s something that does not go unnoticed for Matheny.

“I think that’s really special,” Matheny said. “Coming into college and knowing some of my teammates beforehand was really special, too. But I think a lot of it, especially when it comes to pole vault specifically, really boils down to just Matt and his coaching and how much of an impact he has on the surrounding area… It’s just really special to see how people can continue their success in college, even if they come from these really tiny schools like we did. And it’s just a lot of fun seeing everyone’s growth and seeing everyone succeed.”

Matheny ends her career as just the seventh Bomber to win three or more national championships in one sport, and she’s now a six-time All-American. Matheny will be attending graduate school at Old Dominion University in Virginia and plans on taking a break from pole vaulting to explore other avenues athletically.

As for Mikula, he concludes his career as one of the most decorated athletes in program history. The senior is a seven-time All-American, and his national title was the first ever for the men’s outdoor track and field team. Mikula will remain at Ithaca College for grad school and will still be around the program.

“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to be a national champion,” Mikula said. “I’ve been very fortunate to get the right coaching and get the right setup with Coach Scheffler and Ithaca College. Being able to cap off this journey with a complete sweep of the D3 championships is quite crazy to think about.”