Cornell freshman reaches NCAA pole vault in first year
By: Justin Feil
Natalie Gengel graduated from Princeton High School at the top of her pole vault event, but figured to be humbled in college.
In the second meet of her collegiate career she was, but nothing, not even a severe ankle sprain could keep Gengel from soaring to new heights for the Cornell University women’s track and field team. The Big Red freshman set a new school record and personal best of 12-feet-11¾ at the NCAA Regional Outdoor Championships and advanced to the NCAA Championships where she finished 21st last Wednesday.
"I really enjoy jumping against all these girls who are about the same as me," said Gengel, who cleared 12-3½ at NCAAs. "There is a lot more competition. I do a lot better when there’s a lot of competition with me.
"I’m a very competitive person. When you get a lot of people who are right around the same as me, there’s a lot of motivation."
Gengel showed that in high school. Against the toughest of competition at the 2005-2006 Indoor and 2006 Outdoor Meets of Champions, Gengel won. She graduated with a pair of golds and was off to contribute to a Cornell team that swept this year’s Heptagonal Championships.
"In high school, I had a lot more pressure to do well," Gengel said. "They counted on me to do well in every event. This year, I got to just focus on pole vault. One of the main differences is not too many freshmen travel. I got to.
"I didn’t know what to expect. There were a lot of meets coaches took me to that I didn’t think I’d be going to."
But it was an early home meet that proved a real eye-opener at a level even beyond college. At the Southern Tier Collegiate Open, her second collegiate competition ever, Gengel finished second. She lost by more than three feet to United States Track and Field Association Outdoor champion and current American record holder Jen Stuczynski, who cleared better than 15 feet to win the meet.
Gengel, however, continued to place highly. She finished seventh at her first Indoor Heptagonals as the Big Red won their sixth straight team title, and she competed at the ECAC Championships.
"It was awesome," Gengel said. "There’s so much team unity on our team, between guys and the girls. We have our own special cheers during the meet. It’s nice to have a bigger vault squad. If I need them, they’re there to help. It was like the relationship I had with Tom (McKinley, a PHS grad and fellow MOC medalist). We helped each other with every meet."
Everything was progressing fine as Gengel cleared a new best of 12-5½ to win the Sea Ray Relays, but an ankle injury the next week almost put an end to her outdoor season. Or maybe it should have.
"I came back way too quick," Gengel said. "I wasn’t left a choice."
On a standout team, Gengel didn’t want to give anyone else a chance to take her pole vaulting spot. So she was back at it, in her hometown Princeton, when the Big Red won the Outdoor Heptagonals for a sixth straight spring.
"Basically I didn’t give it enough time to heal," said Gengel, who was ninth. "I couldn’t walk right. The only thing I could do was sprint. I did it my sophomore year at the Mercer County Championships with my right ankle. I figured I’d try it here."
Barely two weeks later, she was clearing 12-11¾ to qualify for the NCAAs with a third-place finish. It marked a remarkable turnaround to produce her first trip to nationals.
"After I got hurt, I didn’t think it was a possibility," Gengel said. "I took four weeks off of practicing, almost five. With all that time off, I didn’t think I’d be able to compete with these girls that had been jumping 13 (feet) every weekend. Once I was there, I felt good and I just went for it."
Gengel hasn’t stopped since finishing higher than her seed at the nationals. She qualified for the United States Junior Nationals to be held June 22 in Indianapolis.
"I feel like I’m still peaking," Gengel said. "I’m right in the middle between two poles. If I can get on the next pole, I’ll be great. That’s what I struggled with at nationals. The one was too soft and the next one was too stiff."
Gengel continues to train at Cornell for the junior nationals, after which time she will fly home and continue her training in Princeton. After going through a year, her training figures to be different going into her sophomore season.
"It’s a lot different from high school," she said. "Practices are a lot more intense. You’re trying to get all your work done, and a lot of times you have to work your practices around class. You have to work practices around exams.
"My run is longer now than it was in high school," she added. "I’m on a lot bigger pole than I was in high school. We’re trying to change things slowly. We’re working on the beginning of the jump."
There are three parts to the pole vault the run, the plant and the swing. Gengel is confident in the final stage, the swing. Ironing out the middle phase could give Gengel the height to contend with the best she will face.
"At the beginning of outdoor, I started doing it right a few times," she said. "Through NCAA competition, I started getting it right every time.
"I’m still thinking about this season. I started to think a little about next," she added. "I know I need to stay in a lot better shape over the summer, more running, endurance type work and hit the weight room. I never worked out in the weight room in high school. That was a huge change. The main thing right now is to get my ankles healthy."
Gengel had surgery on her right ankle in high school. It was her left that she hurt as a college freshman. It was about the only thing that could slow Natalie Gengel down, and even it couldn’t keep her from a new personal best and a first trip to the NCAA Championships.

