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Dan Drellishak Sets School Record for the Pole Vault

By Joe Ginley '12 , 02/10/20, 2:45PM EST

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Drellishak vaulted to 15' on Sunday at SPIRE.

A 10-year school record has fallen. 

On Sunday at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, Dan Drellishak set a new school mark for the pole vault.

The senior surpassed 15' (15 feet) on Sunday in a tremendous leap, shattering the previous mark of 14'9" by Craig Krcal in 2010.

Drellishak has been a star pole vaulter for the Wildcats for the last couple of years. Drellishak punched a ticket to the State Meet in 2019 for the first time, and did well. As a junior, Drellishak hit 14' at the State Meet and 14'6" at Regionals. Since then, he's been working hard to get better for his senior season. 

"He was really close last year," said the Wildcats' assistant track & field coach for pole vaulting, Joe Zebrak '87. "He was chasing it big-time last year. It was really good to see him do it early on, essentially in the very first opportunity. He was vaulting really well on Sunday morning. He looked good."

Entering Sunday's meet, Drellishak was confident. A welcoming indoor venue made things easier. SPIRE is a good place to vault at, and with wind and other weather factors eliminated, Drellishak could leap to higher heights.

"Danny was confident he was going to do it," said the Wildcats' head track & field coach, Chuck Kyle '69. "It's a very good facility to pole vault at. There was good competition. And with indoor, you don't have the wind. You can have a full run and you can use the poles you'll use in outdoor. He responded quite well during the competition. He also had a very good shot at 15'6", he almost made that one. There's something to look forward to as the season goes on."

The accomplishment is a culmination of hundreds of hours of work by Drellishak.

Once each week during the offseason, Drellishak practices at Oberlin. Drellishak hones his craft with precision and skill. 

"He does a lot of work in the offseason," Zebrak said. "His technique has improved from last year."

Drellishak will be a force to be reckoned all year for the Wildcats. The indoor track & field season begins in earnest on Tuesday at Lincoln West, continuing through the OATCCC Indoor State Championships at SPIRE on March 7. 

"It's good to get this out of the way," Zebrak said. "Now, he can set his sights on bigger and better things and not worry about chasing after records. He'll continue to improve throughout the year. I anticipate a lot of good things from him the rest of the year."