Student Spotlight: Sydney Clute
4/3/2017 9:16:00 AM | General, Student-Athlete Services, Track and Field
By: Nick Reith
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sydney Clute hears the same question every time she's asked about jumping.
They see Clute, a three-time NCAA All-American in the pole vault, lining up her approach before taking off down the runway. Her pole meets the box and, in an instant, the tension gives way for Clute to soar upward and over the bar.
What's going through her mind?
Clute, much like her ritualistic approach, has the answer down to a science.
"I'm really focusing on what I need to do on that vault," Clute said. "I'm not thinking about whether I have the right pole or not, or what could go wrong. I'm really focused on what I need to execute on that vault in order to clear the bar."
While Clute's mental approach raises curiosity, the method itself is unquestioned. Clute has earned a podium finish in two outdoor track & field seasons, and the redshirt senior is off to a blistering start to the outdoor schedule this year.
In her first weekend of competition since last year's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Clute put the nation on notice at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Invitational. She cleared 4.55m (14'11") to win the meet with the highest mark in the country this year. It also smashed the Big Ten record, Clute's personal record and Indiana's school record, and the facility record at Arizona State.
"It's definitely exciting heading into the rest of the season," said Clute. "Hopefully this is just the beginning of what's to come, since it's so early in the year. I won't say that it was totally unexpected because we've been having some good practices and working on things."
It's not a surprise to Clute, but it's certainly impressive considering that the meet was her first action of the academic year. Clute completed her indoor career in 2016, which allowed her to fine-tune the technical elements of her vault: the approach, the takeoff, and the all-important work at the top.
"We've been treating things like normal," Clute said. "It's a lot of repetition, a lot of practicing and working on the same things over and over again. You have to stay focused on your goals to keep moving forward."
That work ethic is evident to those who interact with Clute, and many do, considering her standing in Indiana's athletic department. Clute is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), but getting to that point took the same determination she showed this winter in Gladstein Fieldhouse.
It started as a freshman, when Clute began attending the voluntary meetings for anyone interested. All the while, she balanced a budding athletic career with a class schedule that ran through the Kelley School of Business. It wasn't until Clute's senior year that she ascended to the SAAC executive board.
"It's a really good experience for me to be in the position to lead others and to get more experience in the athletic department," said Clute. "I think that eventually when I'm done jumping, I want to continue working in athletics. SAAC has been really helpful in seeing how it works organizationally, and it's given me a lot of responsibility as a leader."
This year, the SAAC student body elected Clute as president, and she'll serve as the committee's top influencer while pursuing a master's degree in Tourism Hospitality.
"I think I've always had the desire and ability to lead," Clute said. "I want to mentor the underclassmen coming after me to help shape and impact the team and athletic department after I'm gone so things can continue down the right path. Hopefully that influences things for years to come."
While Clute lays the foundation in SAAC and with her track & field teammates, she hopes to end a stellar track career with a bang. After earning a career-best fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season, Clute aims to improve that mark with a top-three podium spot at Hayward Field in June.
She might be getting there quicker than she realized after clearing 4.55m in the first weekend.
"My goal at the beginning of the year was to clear 4.60, so we're getting pretty close to that," Clute said. "I definitely want to be back at NCAAs making a run at the title, and hopefully I'll leave with a top-three finish. Our main focus is to continually improve and PR at every meet. We'll see what happens."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sydney Clute hears the same question every time she's asked about jumping.
They see Clute, a three-time NCAA All-American in the pole vault, lining up her approach before taking off down the runway. Her pole meets the box and, in an instant, the tension gives way for Clute to soar upward and over the bar.
What's going through her mind?
Clute, much like her ritualistic approach, has the answer down to a science.
"I'm really focusing on what I need to do on that vault," Clute said. "I'm not thinking about whether I have the right pole or not, or what could go wrong. I'm really focused on what I need to execute on that vault in order to clear the bar."
While Clute's mental approach raises curiosity, the method itself is unquestioned. Clute has earned a podium finish in two outdoor track & field seasons, and the redshirt senior is off to a blistering start to the outdoor schedule this year.
In her first weekend of competition since last year's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Clute put the nation on notice at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Invitational. She cleared 4.55m (14'11") to win the meet with the highest mark in the country this year. It also smashed the Big Ten record, Clute's personal record and Indiana's school record, and the facility record at Arizona State.
"It's definitely exciting heading into the rest of the season," said Clute. "Hopefully this is just the beginning of what's to come, since it's so early in the year. I won't say that it was totally unexpected because we've been having some good practices and working on things."
It's not a surprise to Clute, but it's certainly impressive considering that the meet was her first action of the academic year. Clute completed her indoor career in 2016, which allowed her to fine-tune the technical elements of her vault: the approach, the takeoff, and the all-important work at the top.
"We've been treating things like normal," Clute said. "It's a lot of repetition, a lot of practicing and working on the same things over and over again. You have to stay focused on your goals to keep moving forward."
That work ethic is evident to those who interact with Clute, and many do, considering her standing in Indiana's athletic department. Clute is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), but getting to that point took the same determination she showed this winter in Gladstein Fieldhouse.
It started as a freshman, when Clute began attending the voluntary meetings for anyone interested. All the while, she balanced a budding athletic career with a class schedule that ran through the Kelley School of Business. It wasn't until Clute's senior year that she ascended to the SAAC executive board.
"It's a really good experience for me to be in the position to lead others and to get more experience in the athletic department," said Clute. "I think that eventually when I'm done jumping, I want to continue working in athletics. SAAC has been really helpful in seeing how it works organizationally, and it's given me a lot of responsibility as a leader."
This year, the SAAC student body elected Clute as president, and she'll serve as the committee's top influencer while pursuing a master's degree in Tourism Hospitality.
"I think I've always had the desire and ability to lead," Clute said. "I want to mentor the underclassmen coming after me to help shape and impact the team and athletic department after I'm gone so things can continue down the right path. Hopefully that influences things for years to come."
While Clute lays the foundation in SAAC and with her track & field teammates, she hopes to end a stellar track career with a bang. After earning a career-best fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season, Clute aims to improve that mark with a top-three podium spot at Hayward Field in June.
She might be getting there quicker than she realized after clearing 4.55m in the first weekend.
"My goal at the beginning of the year was to clear 4.60, so we're getting pretty close to that," Clute said. "I definitely want to be back at NCAAs making a run at the title, and hopefully I'll leave with a top-three finish. Our main focus is to continually improve and PR at every meet. We'll see what happens."
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