McCorkel Clears Hurdle To Enjoy Early Success (Arkansas)

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TRACK: McCorkel Clears Hurdle To Enjoy Early Success

THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008 7:36 PM CST IN RAZORBACK CENTRAL
By Alex Abrams
THE MORNING NEWS
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FAYETTEVILLE - Spencer McCorkel's immediate success in pole vaulting could be chalked up to beginner's luck.

After all, how else does one explain the fact that McCorkel was featured in Sports Illustrated before he even arrived at Arkansas as an 18-year-old freshman?

And if it's not beginner's luck, then how is it that he cleared a provisional-qualifying mark in his collegiate debut and won the pole vaulting competition in only his second meet?

"I think the only reason that I'm as good as I am is because I am my own worst enemy," McCorkel said as he prepared to compete in today's second day of the Tyson Invitational in the Randal Tyson Track Center.

At first glance, McCorkel appears to be a mild-mannered freshman, who's still learning how to compete at a perennial track power like Arkansas.

But the Bryant native takes a much more intense approach once he steps on the track as one of the nation's top young pole vaulters. He's a perfectionist in the best and worst ways.

McCorkel gets frustrated if he fails to clear a bar on his first attempt, and sometimes he has to step aside to calm himself down after a miss.

"In high school, I could have a bad meet and still do well. You can't do that in college," McCorkel said. "You have to perform every time you're out there, and your team relies on you to do that."

That, however, hasn't been much of a problem for McCorkel over the first month of the indoor track and field season.

He has made a surprisingly smooth transition, going from being the nation's top high school pole vaulter in 2007 to emerging as one of the bigger contributors so far for the No. 11-ranked Razorbacks.

McCorkel cleared an NCAA provisional-qualifying height of 17 feet and 3/4 inches in his debut at the Arkansas Invitational on Jan. 11. Two weeks later, the freshman won the pole vaulting competition at the Razorback Invitational with a jump of 17 feet, 2 3/4 inches.

"He's a great athlete. He's a very aggressive vaulter," said John McDonnell, Arkansas men's track and field coach. "... And of course, Spencer had a great background. He had a great high school coach, so he knows the vault and he's not afraid to get off the ground."

As a senior at Bryant High last year, McCorkel posted the nation's top mark in the pole vault, clearing 17 feet, 9 inches.

And he was recognized in an issue of Sports Illustrated, appearing along with several other amateur athletes in the "Faces In the Crowd" section of the magazine.

But despite the apparent potential, McDonnell isn't ready to make any grand statements about McCorkel just yet.

"I don't want to put the monkey on his back or anything like that," McDonnell said. "But with time, give him a little bit of time and maturity, he'll make a great jumper."

Spencer McCorkel

Event: Pole vault

Class: Freshman

Size: 5-foot-8, 148 pounds

Hometown: Bryant

Notable: McCorkel posted the nation's top mark in the pole vault as a senior at Bryant High School last year, clearing 17 feet and 9 inches. He also posted the second- and fourth-best jumps in the nation in 2007. He finished first at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. McCorkel will turn 19 on March 15, which happens to be the second day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville.