June 3, 2010

Gillmore leaves mark on Cowley track and field program

Shooting for the stars! Leaving Cowley College as the top women’s pole vaulter in the history of the program, Katie Gillmore will look to continue her incredible success as a member of the track and field team at Wichita State University as she signed a letter of intent with the school on Wednesday.

Gillmore, a biology/pre-medicine major, plans on attending the University of Kansas Medical School after obtaining her degree from Wichita State.

Having attended the summer space program at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center for five summers and preparing to serve as a camp counselor in the space program for the third straight year, Gillmore hopes to become an astronaut after completing med school.

Cowley head track and field coach Mark Phillips would not bet against Gillmore achieving her goal.

“She is a very motivated young woman that deserves all the success she gets,” Phillips said. “If she says she wants to be an astronaut then one day we will see her in the astronaut program.”

Gillmore had a successful high school career at Moundridge, where she was a three-time Class 4A state medalist in the pole vault.

“I came to Cowley because I heard it was a place I could come to work hard and get better,” Gillmore said. “The program coach Phillips put together helped me get better.”

Did it ever! With Phillips’ vast knowledge and success in teaching athletes in the pole vault, Gillmore turned into a national champion and finished as the conference and region champion in the pole vault at all four championship meets held over the past two seasons.

“She always does the work, no matter what aspect it is in,” Phillips said. “She is the epitome of do as I ask, follow the program and you will be successful. I set up a program and that young lady did everything to the “T”.”

With her track accomplishments and 3.81 grade point average, Gillmore was recognized as Cowley College’s May Student Athlete of the Month.

Along with being a member of the Lady Tiger track and field team, Gillmore served as president of PAWS (Peers Advocating Wellness for Students), was a resident assistant for the Central Avenue Dormitory, and was a Cowley Captain.

Gillmore was recruited by numerous NCAA Division I schools and visited the University of Nebraska, the University of South Florida, Memphis University, Kansas University, and Kansas State University before choosing Wichita State.

“Coach (Pat) Wilson at WSU does a good job with the vaulters and I think he will help me continue to get better,” Gillmore said.

Phillips, who has worked with Wilson at the Kansas University Vault Camp, feels good about sending another one of his athletes to Wichita State.

“Pat is a really good young coach,” Phillips said. “They do a really good job there at Wichita State and it is an easy transition for our kids. I think Katie can go in and make an immediate impact to that program.”

Gillmore will have some familiar faces around her at Wichita State as fellow Tigers’ Mac Griffith, Kameron Conely and Mark Butler will be competing for the Shocker men’s track and field team next season. Former Cowley pole vaulter, Willy Lucero, will be a senior at WSU next season, while former Tigers’ Bryan Tapia and Irene Kosgei recently finished their eligibility with the Shocker program.

“The coaches there have told us they love to get Cowley kids because they know how to be student-athletes,” Phillips said.

Gillmore finished this past indoor season as the national champion in the pole vault. At the national meet, Gillmore did not have a miss in the pole vault until the bar reached 12-feet-10 inches as she ended up breaking the national meet record by clearing 12-6 ¾ in the event.

Her performance helped Cowley place third nationally. She also was a big reason why the Lady Tigers captured conference and region titles for the first time since 2007.

Gillmore not only broke the conference and region record in the pole vault (12-1 ½), she also broke the stadium record, which was previously set by Jenna Blaubaugh (12-0) during the 2003 season. Gillmore also broke the meet and outdoor school record at the Hutchinson Night Relays held on April 3 by clearing 12-6 3/4 in the event.

At the Region VI/Jayhawk Conference Outdoor National Championships, Gillmore broke her own school record in the pole vault as she cleared 12-7 ½ in the event, but finished four inches behind national champion Lacey Palmer (12-11 ½) of Mesa Community College.

During this year’s outdoor track season, Gillmore placed first at the Southwestern Invite, Hutchinson Night Relays, Tabor Invite, Southwestern Relays, and Coffeyville Dean Pryor Invitational. She also placed second in the pole vault at the Wichita State University K.T. Woodman Classic and seventh at the KU Relays.

She hopes to have the same success at WSU.

“I would like to win some conference titles and go to the NCAA nationals,” Gillmore said.