Kalsey beat odds for record-breaking vault in D-III finals
Waynesburg Central graduate Marissa Kalsey (second from left) shares her NCAA Division III outdoor national title in the pole vault with Westminster College teammates (from left) Hailey Hall, Cassidy Shepherd and Brooke Mancuso. Coached by Waynesburg Central graduate Bradi Rhoades. all four vaulters competed in the national championship with Kalsey and Shepherd earning All-America honors. (Submitted photo)
Westminster College redshirt senior Marissa Kalsey poses in front of the banner announcing the 2017 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Mount Union College. The Waynesburg Central graduate overcame a severe ankle injury the year before to win the national title with a record-breaking vault. (Submitted photo)
To vault again after the severe ankle injury Marissa Kalsey suffered in the spring of 2016 was highly unlikely.
The fact the Waynesburg Central graduate won the national championship a little over a year later on May 25, 2017, with a record-breaking vault to boot, was simply remarkable.
Kalsey, a redshirt senior, won her first national title by breaking the national meet record and her Westminster College mark with her winning vault of 4.22 meters (13-10), a mark that still stands. Ithaca’s Katherine Pitman, who finished second to Kalsey, set the record in 2016 with her winning vault of 4.21 meters.
“Oh my goodness, that’s crazy. It doesn’t seem that long ago,” said Kalsey of her title-winning vault.
Kalsey credited her faith, Westminster teammates and coach Bradi Rhoades (a fellow Waynesburg grad), family and friends for helping her to get through the pain and recovery from a break in the talus bone in her left ankle suffered when she landed awkwardly on an vault at the Juniata Invitational in March, 2016.
“I asked the doctor ‘When will I be able to vault again?’ He looked at me with this look, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I remember him telling me this is a big girl injury. You’ll be lucky to walk normal when you’re 50,” recalled Kalsey. “Really, the doctor told me when he first diagnosed it and all, (the injury) would end my career.”
Kalsey recalled the night of the injury.
“I wasn’t able to have the ankle examined the night when I was injured,” said Kalsey, thinking she had suffered a severe sprain. “My roommate, Cassidy Shepherd, held me to help get me through the night.”
Kalsey was just a couple months from graduation when she suffered the injury, so she moved about campus after her surgery on a scooter and crutches.
With a college degree in hand, Kalsey was faced with the decision whether to return for a redshirt senior outdoor spring season in 2017 or move forward with her four indoor and three outdoor All-American honors, including two second-place finishes.
Kalsey decided to return for her one final shot at a national title as a graduate student at Westminster, but not without questioning her decision.
“Honestly, I think this sounds strange, but struggling through it was the best part of it,” said Kalsey. “‘Is this going to be worth it? Am I even good enough to get back to nationals? I had so much less time than I ever had to prepare, should I even try this next season?’
“My biggest fear was (not coming back) and wondering what might’ve happened.
“I took my precautions. I knew I had less time to train. It was a spiritual experience. God had given me a second chance to pole vault.”
Winning titles and breaking records throughout high school and college was not new to Kalsey, but all of those past performances were different than what she experienced that May afternoon at Mt. Union College.
“It was one of the most exciting and emotional moments of my career. I couldn’t believe everything that happened the months coming up to that moment,” said Kalsey. “It made the victory so much more emotional and rewarding.
“Honestly, it was impossible without God. It grew my faith.
“A lot of people I knew, a lot of coaches, came up to me and told me your story is so inspiring. Everyone knew.”
Kalsey also acknowledge the role her high school coach had in her remarkable comeback.
“That’s a testament to Coach (Butch) Brunell. He was just so proud of me. I had a couple of injuries in high school, but no surgeries,” said Kalsey, adding, “He’s even still so supportive.”
Kalsey’s training for a hopeful berth into the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials is on hold because of closures due to COVID-19, but she occasionally brings to mind the work that brought about that one golden moment.
“I reminisce on that moment every once in awhile,” said Kalsey. “I talk to Coach (Bradi Rhoades) and ask ‘How cool was that moment?’ I still look back on that video and feel those emotions.
“I’m so grateful for those people who pushed me through. I had a lot of exciting moments. There is nothing that compares to that moment. When I came back, I didn’t know it would be such an unexpected moment.
“My whole family and fiance were there to see it. Westminster’s athletic director was there. It was the coolest thing to have everyone who helped me (at the meet).”
Kalsey had three teammates — Hailey Hall, Shepherd and Brooke Mancuso — in the national pole vault finals to share the experience. Shepherd also earned All-America honors.
“I had three teammates to share that moment. All of them helped me to get to that moment,” said Kalsey.
Kalsey now truly appreciates the ability she holds and the opportunities it has provided her.
“The injury gives you an extra edge. It reminds you how quickly it can be taken away,” said Kalsey. “I’m lucky to be still doing it.”