Hall of Fame
Elizabeth Composto ’15 Schweitzer grew up playing a variety of sports but decided in middle school to commit to track & field because of the combination of individual and team aspects of the sport. She explored a wide range of schools—NCAA Division I, II and III—but ultimately chose North Central College, where she could thrive both athletically and academically.
"The coaches at North Central were so welcoming, and it was clear they genuinely wanted me to be part of the program," Composto Schweitzer said. "I felt like it was a place where I could thrive—not too far from home, with strong academic options as well."
That decision paid off, as Composto Schweitzer set the indoor and outdoor pole vault freshman record (12’4.50”) on her way to winning the indoor College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championship, while also placing fourth in the long jump. At the 2012 indoor national championships, she finished eighth, earning her first All-America honors. Her outdoor season mirrored that success, with another CCIW title and a second All-America selection.
"The reason I was able to step in and have success my freshman year is because we had a great recruiting class that year," she said. "We had five incoming female freshman pole vaulters. I’m very competitive and a people person. I think having that group of women to train with and having those training partners from the beginning made it so that we all had common goals and could be successful. Coach Kari Kluckhohn HOF'22 was always encouraging, and I had a good relationship with Coach Tim Winder HOF'15 from the beginning. I really bought into it—I trusted his opinion and wanted to soak up all his wisdom from the start."
In 2013, Composto Schweitzer repeated as the CCIW indoor champion and tied her best national finish with a fourth-place showing, earning another All-America award. Her outdoor mark at the CCIW Championships gave her a third conference title and qualified her for a fourth national competition. She became the third three-time pole vault CCIW champion in program history during the 2014 indoor championships, and an eighth-place finish at nationals earned her a third straight indoor All-America honor. She was runner-up at the 2014 outdoor conference championships and again qualified for nationals.
In her senior year, Composto Schweitzer became the third athlete in program history to win an individual event at four straight conference meets. She tied for fourth place at the nationals, becoming the second athlete in North Central history to be an indoor All-American in the same event four consecutive years. She capped off her career with an outdoor CCIW championship and a fifth All-America honor.
