Nate Polacek

Personal Bests
Indoor
Pole Vault, 17-10 1/2 (5.45)
Outdoor
Pole Vault, 17-2 3/4 

All-American
2012 Indoor Pole Vault (Second Team)
2011 Indoor Pole Vault

NCAA Championships
2011 (I): PV, 17-10 1/2 (4th)

Big 12 Championships
2011 (O): PV, 16-4 (t-7th)
2011 (I): PV, 16-10 3/4 (3rd)
2010 (O): PV, 16-2 1/2 (t-9th)
2010 (I): PV, 16-11 1/2 (4th)
2009 (O): PV, 16-0 3/4 (9th)
2009 (I): PV, 16-3 3/4 (t-5th)

Honors
Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American (2011)
First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII (2011)
USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2010, 2011)
Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2012)
Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, Spring: (2009, 2010, 2011), Fall: (2008, 2009, 2010)

2011 (Junior)
Nate Polacek (pronounced puh-LAH-check) earned the first All-America honor of his career on the pole vault at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships... he was named a pole vault All-American with a personal-best 17-10 1/2 at the NCAA Championships to finish in fourthplace... took third on pole vault at the 2011 Big 12 Indoor Championships with a mark of 16-10 3/4... posted a 17-1 1/2 at the Frank Sevigne Invitational for a third-place finish... recorded a personal-best 17-2 3/4 at the adidas Classic on Jan. 22 for second place... tied for seventh at the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Championships with a pole vault of 16-4... also earned Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2011... named First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII.

2010 (Sophomore)
Polacek started the indoor season by breaking his previous best of 16-4 3/4 by six inches with a vault of 16-10 3/4 at the Holiday Inn Invitational... took the mark up two inches higher the following week with a clearance at 17-0 3/4 to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships... improved his best one last time at the Nebraska Tune-Up with a jump of 17-1... vaulted 16-11 1/2 at the Big 12 Indoor Championships to take fourth... competed at four meets during the outdoor season, including a season-best vault of 16-7 1/2 at the Nebraska Invitational... tied for ninth at the conference meet (16-2 1/2).

2009 (Freshman)
Polacek competed at both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships, earning a medal at the indoor meet after tying for fifth with a then- personal-best indoor vault of 16-3 3/4... planned to redshirt in 2009, but impressed the coaching staff with a runner-up finish (15-7) as an unattached athlete at the Holiday Inn Invitational... competed as a Husker the rest of the year... cleared 16-0 or more at six outdoor meets... took top honors at the Nebraska Invitational with a then-best leap of 16-2 3/4... cleared the NCAA Midwest Regional standard of 16-6 3/4 with a then-personal-best vault of 16-10 at the Nebraska Quad... finished ninth at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and was unable to clear the opening height at the NCAA Midwest Regional... finished 2009 at the USA Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore., where he tied for fourth with a vault of 16-4 3/4.

 

Before Nebraska (Kearney HS)
Polacek set the Nebraska high school state record in the pole vault indoors at 15-6 while under Coach Bob Talbitzer at Kearney High School... finished third at the 2006 Class A state meet with a vault of 13-10, before returning as a junior to capture the All-Class gold medal with a vault of 15-2... finished runner-up as a senior with a vault of 14-10... set a then-outdoor personal best of 16-0 at the Dick Jones Invitational... tied for fourth in the high school division of the 2008 Kansas Relays... was a member of the National Honor Society... chose Nebraska over Kansas State and Air Force.

 

Personal

Parents are Lonny and Shawn Polacek... born June 22, 1990... a secondary english education major, Nate earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2013.