The space above a pole vault bar is one that must be traveled alone, but Brian DeLoriea ’05 never felt by himself even as he reached new heights for the North Central College men’s track and field program.
On his path to the Cardinals’ first individual national championship in the event, DeLoriea drew strength from the presence of his teammates and the close-knit camaraderie difficult to achieve on large teams.
“North Central and Division III were a good fit for me,” he said. “It was an opportunity to come into a high-quality team where I could contribute and that had great leadership.”
DeLoriea qualified for seven of a possible eight national-championship meets during his collegiate career, earning the first of five All-America honors with a second-place showing at the 2003 outdoor championship. He also won three College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) indoor titles and one outdoor crown as the Cardinals swept all four conference indoor and outdoor meets during his time in uniform.
“I don’t know that I ever went to a national meet as the only one from my team in the field,” he said. “It was its own challenge, and sometimes it takes a couple of tries, but you realize after a while it’s just a track meet.
“Nationals was always fun, but the team’s focus always seemed to be on the conference championship. From the coaching staff on down, particularly outdoors, that seemed to have more emotion behind it.”
DeLoriea closed his career with a victory that even stunned him at the 2005 outdoor national finals, clearing the bar at 16 feet, 11 inches on his first attempt to leap three spots in the standings and secure the first of what is now 15 individual national titles by members of the Cardinals’ program. He also graduated as North Central’s record holder for the indoor and outdoor events.
“We had four vaulters there that day, and three of us ended up on the podium,” DeLoriea recalled. There were some changing conditions and a rain delay, but our coaches had set up situational drills and challenges in practice to teach us how to deal with adverse conditions, so I felt prepared. It wasn’t the easiest way to win, but I had prepared for it all year and it worked out.”
