Josh Kettlewell vaulting up to the nation’s top-10 (CMU)

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Josh Kettlewell vaulting up to the nation’s top-10
By Morgan Yuncker on January 8, 2012 12:45 pm in Sports, Track & Field / 0 Comments

A lot of hard work will get you to the top, the very top, top ten in the nation kind of top.

At least it has for Central Michigan pole vaulter Josh Kettlewell.


Josh Kettlewell
The men’s track and field senior is tied for eighth in the Nation with Virginia Tech’s Joe Davis in the pole vault event.

“If you would have told me I would have been this successful when I was a freshman I would have laughed in your face,” Kettlewell said.

Kettlewell is a multi-event participator. He has participated in heptathlons, decathlons, 4×4 400m relay, 60m hurdles and most importantly the pole vault.

“It is really hard for a collegiate athlete to have a lot of talent and then to mentally take advantage of their talent,” said assistant coach Bobby Wilson.

Last season Josh separated his shoulder in the first outdoor meet restricting him from participation in the remainder of the season.

“It was really frustrating, no one wants to have to limit themselves because of an injury,” Kettlewell said.

Now, fully recovered, Kettlewell is at the top of his game. He posted a career-best vault of 16-8.75 at the Grand Valley State University Early Bird event. That currently stands as the eighth best vault in the nation so far this year.

It took hard work to get back from injury to posting career bests.

“He is always the first one to practice and the last one to leave,” Wilson said. “He knows what I want, when I want it, and he is willing to work his butt off to get it.”

His hard work may be one of the reasons CMU named Kettlewell one of the captains to this year’s team.

“This is his first year of being a captain, he is 100 percent our leader,” Wilson said. “He has become the leader everyone has wanted him to be.”

Kettlewell hopes his work ethic will help to motivate his teammates. He said he wasn’t always the most talented, but worked hard enough to earn his position – position as captain – and in the nations top-10 pole vaulters.

“I think I have always been a leader,” Kettlewell said. “I may not have been the most vocal person, but I do think I’ve always led by example.”