By: Darby Radcliff
From breaking records in High School to competing during her college years at the NCAA division meets, as well as being named this year’s Homecoming maid, Ole Miss junior from Mobile, Ala., and talented pole vaulter on the Ole Miss track team, Neal Tisher shares with Her Campus Ole Miss her insight on her past experiences in pole vaulting, as well as her thoughts on the upcoming track season for Ole Miss.
Her Campus: Your position in track is pole vaulting, but when did you first get started in pole-vaulting?
Neal Tisher: I first started pole vaulting at the end of the 7th grade, and then in the 8th grade, I started pole vaulting for the varsity team at my school, St. Paul’s Episcopal School.
HC: You were very admired and recognized for pole vaulting in the state of Alabama, but what were some of your greatest moments in the sport during your High School years?
NT: Yes, well pole vaulting wasn’t very big in Alabama, so I think I was one of the first girls to hit a break through mark, and now a lot more girls are doing it and jumping a lot more higher than they used to. I think they just needed someone to jump high because other states were way ahead of the state of Alabama.
In the 11th grade, the record before I broke it for the 5A state record was 9 feet, but every year I broke the record, I ended with my final High School pole vaulting record being being 12’9.
HC: What made you decide to come to Ole Miss, and what have you enjoyed with the athletics here?
NT: I looked at all SEC schools, and it came down between here and Vanderbilt University because I loved the smaller setting schools.
I chose Ole Miss because I love the family atmosphere and the athletic program here.
I feel like our athletic director here knows everyone, as well as our coaches know everyone on a personal basis. Even all the football coaches know all the track athletes, so I feel like all the athletes are just really good friends, so it is very much like a family atmosphere.
HC: You’re a junior now, but in the past seasons, what has been the outcome and the triumphs and failures of your athletic journey here at Ole Miss?
NT: Freshmen year was by far my most frustrating year because you have to change your change your training more in college to center around weightlifting more and also running as well. Also, being on an athletic team, as well as managing with classes and a sorority got to be a lot to handle. I didn’t feel like I was getting better in my athletic performance, and I didn’t have the indoor season that I wanted. My outdoor season was frustrating also, until the last two weeks when I made it to NCAA’s. At the NCAA’s in Oregon, I was ranked 45th, and ended up coming in 15th, which was a triumph for me! So, I was happy about my turn out at the NCAA’s because freshmen year got me frustrated with my athletic performance.
Sophomore year compared to my freshmen year went a ton better though! Both years I broke school records, but sophomore year I started scoring at meets, and got to go to the NCAA’s again, which was held in Iowa that year.
HC: What is your advice and tips for future college athletes looking to join an SEC track team?
NT: Expect a freshmen year that is not going to be a 100 percent. Coaches expect it to not be your best year because they want you to build up your athletic performance each year leading up to your senior year. That was hard for me to get used to, as well as the training that we had to do.
My advice for sprinters and jumpers is to be ready to lift, and my advice for all future athletes is to be ready to develop time management skills in college.
HC: How do you feel about the upcoming track season for the Ole Miss team?
NT: I see our distance girls in the cross-country season coming alive and pushing hard. I feel that with our distance team being so great, it will make our whole team better. Also, the boys team is notorious for being better than our girls team here at Ole Miss, but I think this year it is going to be a close call because our distance girls, including past girls and the new freshmen, have really stepped it up.
The upcoming season this year will begin in December with our season opener at Arkansas State. Then, during winter session, our team will come back and compete during the indoor season until February. After that, we will have a week off difference, then we will start outdoor season, which can last up until mid-summer.
But, very exciting, this year is the Olympic Trial year, so we should some kids qualify to make trials!
Lastly, I am just excited about our team this year! Our preseason has been harder than ever, but it should be a good season for our team!