Benton, Ill. —
Benton pole vaulter Sara Miller is making the jump to college track, accepting a scholarship to vault at Rend Lake College.
Miller, who was also being recruited by Greenville College and a small school in Iowa, is ready for the move and ready to keep vaulting.
“Rend Lake has told me that vaulting is what I will be doing,” she said. “I definitely need to get in better shape, get stronger and work on my phases throughout the pole vault.”
RLC coach Matt Jackson is glad to have her.
“We definitely needed a pole vaulter and Sara has a lot of the talent and ability we were looking for,” said Jackson. “She will be a good element for our team.”
Jackson said it will be a coaching by committee scheme for Miller in Ina.
“Currently, we do not have a pole vault coach, but we will be working together on that,” he said. “We can work with her on her fitness level, her strength, her ability and her form. As far as the other vaulting procedures, we will work on what she already knows and make her better.”
Benton girls track coach Andy Sloan knows Miller is a good fit for Rend Lake. And that her signing is good for his program.
“Any time a kid can sign and compete at the next level, it says a lot about your program,” said Sloan. “She will continue to get stronger and quicker and she has the work ethic. Whenever we had extra time at practice, she was working on her individual sklls.
“When a kid does that, they have a chance to be successful, and she has a chance to be a very good athlete for Rend Lake. Plus, she is used to the grind of coming and going and getting her work in on the athletic field as well as in the classroom, so that won’t be a problem for her.”
Miller plans on majoring in nursing and has plans for the track as well.
“I got 8 feet, 6 inches at the end of my high school career and I would like to go 10 feet, 6 inches or 11 feet,” she said. “That is a huge goal for me and I would like to succeed at that.”
Sloan thinks that Miller and RLC can have a good future together.
“RLC is very good right now,” he said. “The coaches are working at it and I think it will continue. I really think that Sara can help Rend Lake and Rend Lake can help her.”
By: Phil Knapper
From: http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/sports/x866121772/Miller-Will-Vault-At-RLC
