Dunmore junior Maura Michalczyk sets the bar high
By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore junior track and field performer Maura Michalczyk sets the bar high.
And she keeps setting it higher and higher and higher.
Daughter of Diane and Mark Michalczyk, Maura is setting numerous Dunmore school records as a pole vaulter.
She broke the previous Dunmore record of 8.8 ft. as a pole vaulter last season. This year she broke her own record several times and now holds the school record at 11.3 ft., a mark she set Thursday, April 20, against Lakeland.
She has her sights set now on the league record, but will need about another foot for that one.
“That’s a good goal for me though,” she said. “I have the rest of this season and next year to work on it.”
Maura started on the pole vault in her sophomore year. She has been a member of the Dunmore track and field team for three years. She ran hurdles and competed in the long and triple jump as a freshman. She continues to compete in those track and field events too.
Well-versed, Maura is also a basketball cheerleader and member of the Quiz Bowl, Spanish Club, MultiCulture Club and Engineering Club. She has an impressive 99.4 academic average.
The scholar-athlete originally broke the school record with a 9-ft. jump last year. She broke it multiple times since.
She talked about what it takes to excel as a pole vaulter. “You need a mix of all the events,” she said. “You need the speed of a sprinter, strength and the gymnastic ability to get the spring or power over the bar.”
Well-spoken and articulate, Maura said she is unsure about where she will attend college, but is looking at both Division I and III options. She wants to study chemical engineering and compete in track and field on the college level.
“I need to find the right mix for both track and field and what I want to study,” she said. “A Division I college could be a strong possibility, but I won’t rule out Division III either. It all depends on the engineering program and being able to compete in track and field too.”
Confident in nature, Maura said she owes a lot to her parents. “They taught me about determination and discipline. They make me self motivated. They are always behind me. They encourage me.”
She has also learned a lot from her track coach, Gianna Muracco. “She teaches me to embrace the process. You may not always be at your very best, but you need to work through the process and embrace it. You need to piece it together.”
Maura said her best academic subject is chemistry. She also likes math. A perfect combo for a future chemical engineer.
She likes listening to music in her spare time and will be going to see Taylor Swift, one of her favorites, at Giants Stadium in New York next month.
The standout pole vaulter talked about her future goals. “I want to compete in track and field in college and contribute to my team,” she said. “I want to study chemical engineering, graduate, and pursue my career.”
Maura has been participating in track and field since the seventh grade. She was a Lackawanna League Coaches’ first-team all-star for the pole vault as a sophomore.
She is enjoying her overall experience at Dunmore High School. “Dunmore is great, a very close knit community,” she said. “It’s a small class size, so you get close interaction with your teachers. The teachers are great. I’ve made a lot of friends.”