Jennifer Hensel overcomes hardships (Mn St Moorhead)

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http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/239403/

College track and field: Hensel overcomes hardships
Jennifer Hensel used one word to describe her final track season. “Unpredictable,” said the Minnesota State Moorhead senior from Frazee, Minn. “It seems like we can’t catch a break anywhere. Karma just does not like us this year. I don’t know what it is.”
By: Eric Peterson, INFORUM
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Jennifer Hensel used one word to describe her final track season.

“Unpredictable,” said the Minnesota State Moorhead senior from Frazee, Minn. “It seems like we can’t catch a break anywhere. Karma just does not like us this year. I don’t know what it is.”

The two-time defending NCAA Division II women’s pole vault champion took first place in that event Saturday at the Ron Masanz Invitational, clearing the first two heights she attempted on the first try.

Her height of 12 feet, 5 ½ feet sealed the first-place finish.

Hensel has had to deal with a sprained ankle and the team didn’t practice for nearly a month due to area flooding. It rained at the four outdoor meets she competed in prior to the Masanz.

Saturday’s pole vault competition was moved inside Alex Nemzek Hall.

“She’s working with a sprained ankle and it’s swollen,” MSUM assistant coach Jon Heath said. “She’s working on very few practices. She’s working on the end of a semester her senior year. There’s a lot of factors that go into making this a very difficult season for her.”

Not that Hensel wants to make excuses. She has one more meet remaining to prepare for the Division II national meet, which is scheduled for May 21-23 in San Angelo, Texas. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference outdoor meet is next weekend.

“You never want your season to come out like this,” said Hensel, whose career best vault is 13 feet, 7¼ inches. “We just have to do what we can with it.”

Finding consistency in a disjointed season has been a challenge for Hensel. She didn’t compete in a meet for a month after placing third in the pole vault at indoor nationals in mid-March.

“A month later we had our first meet and in that time we just had two practices,” Heath said. “The fact that she’s still ranked No. 2 in the nation is quite a feat.”

MSUM had spring break the week after indoor nationals followed by another two weeks off because the school closed for area flooding.

Hensel won her first meet back, taking first place in the pole vault at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence.

However, she also no heighted at two meets.

“This event you really need to try to catch your groove and you can build on that,” Heath said. “We’re just trying to get things started, much less building.”

Since she plans on going to graduate school next fall, redshirting was not an option for Hensel if she wanted to finish her career in an MSUM uniform.

“I felt that it was important to finish out my season as a Dragon,” she said. “It really wasn’t an option for me to redshirt.”

Heath said Hensel “still has a great shot to defend her national title,” despite the abbreviated outdoor season.

Hensel is determined to end her career strong.

“I mean we live in the Midwest,” said Hensel, who likes to fish among other outdoor activities. “You just got to go with it.”