Matt Marsh's Men's Track Recruiting Profile

Personal Statement

Additional video of my performances can be found on YouTube at the following link : .  Also, the following link contains additional information on my performances:  

A Unique Talent

I never would have imagined that an empty field with nothing except a large oval and a couple of foam mats could feel like home.  I did not start participating in track and field until my freshman year in high school.  The grade school I attended in Duryea did not offer any sports except basketball and cross-country.  I played basketball throughout my grade school career and loved every single aspect of it.  However,  I tried to run cross-country only once and it did not work out quite as well as I expected.  Immediately,  I came out as strong as I could,  which made me feel that I was faster than all the other children on my team.  However,  it was not until we all reached the halfway point of the first mile that I realized why everyone else was passing me.  They,  as distance runners should,  were controlling their paces. It was at that moment I realized I was a sprinter.  I realized that I would rather run faster rather than further than anyone else.

When I came to the first track and field practice,  I was immediately welcomed into the Holy Cross Crusader family,  and with no surprise,  my abilities were put to the test when I was asked to be a hurdler.  I thought it would be weird at first,  but everything just felt so natural.  It felt like that was what I should be doing.  At the end of my first practice,  I was asked if I would be interested in trying to pole vault,  to which I,  an eager and obviously very excited sprinter,  happily obliged.  As if I thought hurdling a three and a half foot high hurdle was exciting enough,  pole vault was much more intense when I found myself using a twelve foot long pole to throw my body over an eight foot high bar.  After much practice,   I finished my first year of pole vault by clearing a height of ten foot,  six inches.  Being a senior now,  I have just recently finished my third year of pole vault with a height of twelve foot,  six inches,  and placed third at the district meet.  This winter,  I have competed in a few meets across the country and have increased my personal record to a height of thirteen feet,  six inches.

In my three years of participating in track and field,  pole vault has been my escape.  Pole vault to me is not a sport anymore;  it is literally a part of my life.  There's no other place I would rather be than standing in front of that pole vault mat,  holding a fourteen foot long pole,  raising the bar six inches higher and telling myself,  "You've got this."  It not only makes me feel like I'm flying,  but it makes me feel alive.  There's a feeling of relief when I land on the mat and look up to see the bar still hanging there,  knowing that I just did something that most people would never dream of doing.  I stand on the runway looking at the bar with such a sense of peace.  Not only is it peaceful on the ground,  but also peaceful in the air.  Flying through the air makes you feel like you are one with the environment around you.  When I land on my back on the mat and I stand up,  look at my coach,  then look at the track around me,  there is only one word that can describe that moment with justice:  home.