PoleVaultPower.com

Derek Mackel, a fifth-year New Mexico senior, has improved by more than five feet in the pole vault since joining the program as an unrecruited walk-on in 2001-02 and will likely become the first UNM men's vaulter to compete at the NCAA Championships since All-American Simon Arkell in 1991?

Blurb

Thats awesome to hear! Gives ppl like me a little hope for my own career. Hope he makes it

how high is he jumping now?

From that little blurb:

Mackel has cleared 17 feet in each of his four meets this year, including a lifetime best of 17-11.00 to tie top-ranked Robison

man that takes a lot of determination i would have probibly quit if i was only jumping that high in high school but thats amazing

This athlete proves the old saying, "never give up". Great motivation for the rest of us.

Hopefully you also now know that...
(Source Article)

PAIR OF LOBOS NATIONALLY RANKED

For the first time in program history New Mexico has two athletes ranked nationally during the indoor season by Trackwire.com. Both Derek Mackel (7th) and Robert Caldwell (12th) are listed among the top-12 in the country in the men's pole vault, marking the first time during any season that two Lobos have been ranked in the same event. New Mexico is the only school with two nationally ranked vaulters.

Mackel (Albuquerque Sandia HS) opened at No. 4 in the first regular season rankings of the season (Jan. 23) and has been among the top-12 for five weeks. This is his first year among the top-12 indoors after climbing as high as No. 7 during the spring of `05. Caldwell (Socorro, N.M.), meanwhile, cracked the national rankings last week for the first time in his career on Feb. 13.

The Trackwire rankings are based upon the projected finish in each event at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championship meet, March 10-11 in Fayetteville, Ark.

TRACKWIRE MEN'S POLE VAULT RANKINGS (Feb. 21)

1. Robbie Pratt (BYU)
2. Tommy Skipper (Oregon)
3. Brian Mondschein (Virginia Tech)
4. John Russell (Akron)
5. Keith Highman (Pittsburgh)
6. Gabe Baldwin (Nebraska)
7. Derek Mackel (New Mexico)
8. Andre Poljanec (Northern Iowa)
9. Mitch Greeley (Clemson)
10. Grame Hoste (Stanford)
11. Bobby Most (Texas Tech)
12. Robert Caldwell (New Mexico)

THE VAUNTED VAULTERS

Sixth-year assistant coach Scott Steffan has established one of the premier men's and women's pole vaulting programs in the nation at New Mexico. A former teammate of three-time All-American and school record holder Simon Arkell, Steffan rebuilt the vault crew from the ground up after returning to Albuquerque. Under his watch, New Mexico pole vaulters have earned all-MWC honors five times since 2003 and have had at least three athletes qualify for the NCAA Regional meet each of the past three years. Since 2002, UNM has boasted seven 16-foot vaulters on the men's side, including three that have cleared 17 feet. Four women have surpassed the 12 foot mark, including two over 13 feet. Four have also been nationally ranked in the event by Trackwire.com