Dylan Schmidt Article (Witchita State)

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http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports ... 613951.htm

WSU's Schmidt sets sights on new heights
Senior pole vaulter is eager for indoor season after undergoing surgery on an injured foot.
BY JEFFREY LUTZ
Wichita Eagle correspondent
Wichita State senior pole vaulter Dylan Schmidt wants to be a coach and physical education teacher when he's finished competing.

His first student was his brother Dustin, who competed in the pole vault at Kansas State for four years and is two years older than Dylan.

Over Christmas break, Dylan went home to Andale and showed Dustin how it's done.

"We kind of had a meet," Dylan said. "I think he's willing to hang it up now, because I beat him and he had to buy my lunch."

The desire to teach and coach brought Dylan to WSU from K-State, where he spent two seasons and finished seventh in the Big 12 as a sophomore.

The Shockers open the indoor track and field season today at the Missouri Invitational in Columbia.

Schmidt said the biggest difference between the Big 12 and the Missouri Valley Conference is the level of competition.

Schmidt noticed his seventh-place mark of 16 feet, 6 ¾ inches was the same as the winning vault in the Valley that season.

"I saw that and thought, "Man, this is going to be a breeze,' " Schmidt said. "But it hasn't been that way."

A chronic foot injury troubled Schmidt most of last season. He did his best to work through it, even though his jumps weren't reaching typical height.

His best mark last season was 15-9; he finished third in the Valley indoor championships at 15-6 ¼, more than a foot out of second place and almost two feet behind the winner.

Schmidt competed in one outdoor meet but said he "couldn't even run down the runway" and opted for surgery. Now he says he's never felt better.

"I think this year I've been smarter," he said. "In years past I kept going, it didn't matter how I felt. This year I've listened to my body more and I'm just training smarter."

A return to form for Schmidt could mean the same for the Shocker men, who finished a distant third behind Northern Iowa and Indiana State last season after winning the indoor title three consecutive seasons.

Schmidt came to WSU mostly for academic reasons, but now he's just as focused on athletic endeavors.

"I think people want to get back to the way it was, when we were winning championships," he said. "It hurts not to win, and it's upsetting.

"I hope it's the mindset for everyone when they come out to practice, to get after it and get back to that top level of performance."