LaVille pole vaulter Lincoln Hulsey reaching new heights
The sky’s the limit.
A trite phrase, perhaps, but one that especially applies to LaVille High School pole vaulter Lincoln Hulsey.
Despite a shortened track season, where Hulsey missed several weeks due to a leg injury, the Lancer junior is still the dominant vaulter in the area. And before it’s over, he is hoping to contend with the top vaulters in the state.
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Hulsey was a bit of an unknown last year, seeming to come from nowhere to win a Penn sectional title and eventually finish seventh at the IHSAA boys state finals. He cleared 14 feet, 6 inches.
He’s already bettered that mark this season, going 14-7 to set a LaVille school record during the Lancer Relays on April 28. It was only his second competition of the year.
Last Thursday, he won the Hoosier North Athletic Conference by clearing 14 feet, but had to shut down his vaulting before he could go any higher.
“I had to go run the 400-meter dash,” said Hulsey, who finished second in that event, clocking an FAT (fully automatic time) 51.51 seconds.
Such is the life of a quality athlete at a small school. “Lincoln could be a multi-eventer in college,” said LaVille coach Kathe Beehler. “I can put him in almost any event and he would win it.”
Hulsey participates only in track, choosing to practice his pole vaulting year-round. During the off-season, he works out at Bethel University with other high school vaulters, a close-knit bunch whose main goal is to make each other better.
“Its called the Sky Chasers pole vault club,” said Hulsey. “It has helped me so much.”
The focus on vaulting improves performances, but there can be drawbacks as well. “I practice all year round and I guess I practiced a little too hard and I hurt my knee,” Hulsey said. “I got tendonitis. I had to sit out at the start of the season, but I went to the doctor and got it cleared, and I’m just pushing through the pain right now.”
LaVille’s coaches made certain he didn’t rush his comeback.
“He did a lot of off-season training and we had to just make sure he didn’t lose any of that. It’s muscle memory,” said Beehler. “(We want him ready) for the end of the season when he needs the big jumps.”
Hulsey finally got to compete on April 22, winning a Class B title at the Goshen Relays. He cleared 13 feet. A week later came the school record, and now, he is hoping to see 15 feet — or better — at the sectional.
“I know I can definitely do better,” said Hulsey. “We’ll see what happens.”
Though he’s only a junior, Hulsey is not exactly new to the event.
“My dad was a pole vaulter and when I was in seventh grade, I’d stay after practice because he would have to take me home,” recalled Hulsey. “There was one day when he said, ‘Lincoln just try it.’ I ended up trying it and I got into it and did pretty good at it.”
That’s an understatement.
“He’s much more confident in what he can do now, and he’s definitely matured,” said Beehler. “I think the confidence that came with that.”
The top three finishers in each event at a sectional automatically advance to regional meets a week later. And from there, it’s on to the state finals in Bloomington on June 2-3.
If everything goes well, Hulsey hopes to finish among the top five at state.
“That’s the goal. I just have to get up there,” said Hulsey.
“Mentally, he’s there. He just has to do it,” said Beehler, who herself was a high school state champ in the long jump in 1989. She knows what it takes.
“Having that day where everything clicks,” said Beehler. “Lincoln tends to thrive when there’s competition. He’s very competitive. Once he’s got people pushing him, that will be huge.
Sectionals on tap
The IHSAA state tournament commences this week with girls sectional meets on Tuesday and boys on Thursday.
Penn’s girls are seeking their third consecutive team title at the Mishawaka sectional, while Penn’s boys are looking for number seven on their home track.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Vaulter Hulsey healthy as IHSAA track & field tournament approaches
