Hall of Fame
Josh Winder ’13 had an exceptional pole vaulting career at North Central College from 2011 to 2013, marked by national titles, consistent All-America honors, and academic excellence. Following an injury during his senior year of high school, Winder, with the help of his father and long-time North Central pole vault coach Tim Winder HOF '15, reinvented his pole vault technique to come back even stronger for his debut season at North Central in 2011. His decision to attend North Central was a no brainer.
"Al Carius HOF'04 and Frank Gramarosse HOF'12 were like uncles to me when I was a kid playing at the outdoor track on campus. It was a family environment that really called to me, Winder said. " As a kid looking up to past vaulters, I wanted to be one of them, and they vaulted for North Central."
He cleared 16'9.5" indoors and turned in a second-place finish at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Championships before making his first NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship appearance, placing seventh to earn his first All-America honor and help North Central to the team national title. Outdoors, Winder vaulted a season best 17'1.5", winning the CCIW title and placing fourth nationally, helping the Cardinals capture the 2011 Division III Outdoor National Championship.
His 2012 season was a standout, as he achieved a personal best of 17'4.5" both indoors and outdoors, a mark that was the fourth best in program history at the time of his graduation. He claimed his first NCAA Division III individual national championship indoors, earning All-America honors for the second consecutive year and contributing to North Central’s third straight team indoor national title.
"I was in a position at nationals where it was my third attempt—make the bar and I could win, miss and I’d take fourth. I made the bar and moved into first place and had to wait while the others took their third attempts. If they made it, the competition continued; if they missed, I won. I was the only one who handled the pressure and made that third-attempt jump to claim the title," he said.
Outdoors, he placed third at both the CCIW and national championships, again earning All-America accolades. In 2013, Winder posted an indoor season best of 16'6.75", won the CCIW title, and placed third nationally. He reached 17'0.75" in the outdoor season, and swept the conference and national titles. His second career individual championship marked his sixth consecutive All-America honor. Over three seasons, Winder contributed valuable points to five team national titles at the indoor (2010, 2011, 2012) and outdoor (2011, 2012) track & field national championships.
"I loved the NCAA Championships because the pole vault crew had the chance to set the tone. My dad built a program deep with vaulters, so we brought up five to the championships. We always showed up on day one, performed, and aimed to get as many people on the podium as possible, which boosted team points and created momentum for the rest of the championship," he said.
