The venue was the Randall Tyson Athletic Center in Fayetteville, Ark., where the University of Arkansas was hosting the 2007 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships. The nation’s most elite track and field athletes were gathered together under one roof, vying for the most prestigious honor in amateur track and field: a national title. Powerhouse schools like Arkansas, Wisconsin and Texas were all well-represented. However, it was the performance of a slender 6-foot-3 Binghamton University athlete, built more like a distance runner than a cream of the crop pole-vaulter, who would steal the show.

The athlete’s name is Rory Quiller and the athlete’s game is pole-vaulting.

After breaking and rebreaking personal, school and conference records all indoor season, Quiller’s runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor National meet was the culmination of arguably the greatest athletic performance in Binghamton University history. Quiller’s jump of 18 1⁄2 was good enough to receive All-American honors and to place him second overall in one of the deepest fields to date. When asked about his achievement, the easygoing, smiling Quiller replied, ‘It was cool.’

And cool it was. Quiller’s finish is the highest any individual Bearcat athlete has ever placed.

The Taste of National Prominence

‘It felt good to go to a meet like that and step up to the level of competition. It was nice to be the underdog,’ Quiller said, laughing. ‘However, I was a little disappointed to not go 18-4.’ That jump, which he nearly cleared, would have won him the title of national champion.

‘Part of the reason why he has become one of the top vaulters in the country is because he still doesn’t think he has done anything yet,’ said Binghamton head track and field coach, and pole vault guru Mike Thompson, who is a former national champion himself. Thompson has been Rory’s mentor and biggest critic over the last four years, but even he has been quite impressed with Rory’s accomplishments.

‘Some people have the talent and others have the dedication,’ he said. ‘But Rory definitely has both.’ It is this talent and dedication that could very well lead Rory to Olympic prominence in the forthcoming years.

A Family Sport

Rory is not alone as a member of the track and field world. In fact, his entire family is no stranger to the sport. Rory’s father, Jerry, is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the country. He is currently the head coach of the West Point (Army) track and field team, and previously served as the head coach at the University of Colorado and as an assistant coach of the U.S. track and field team during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

‘My father has been a great influence on my life and has taught me so much,’ Quiller said. ‘He has never pushed me into anything, however.’ This might explain why Quiller and his two brothers have made their mark on the track and field scene via pole-vaulting; their father’s expertise lies in distance running.

Rory’s older brother, Ryan, was a standout vaulter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, while his younger brother, Robb, is a high school junior and is currently one of the top-ranked vaulters in New York state. ‘He is ahead of where I was at that age and he has a chance to do something very special,’ Rory said.

If Bearcat fans are lucky, they might get to see another All-American Bearcat vaulter with the last name Quiller. Quiller’s rich family history in track and field, and his unparalleled dedication to the sport have not gone unnoticed. Said Thompson of Quiller: ‘He comes from a track and field family and has been exposed to high-level track and field his entire life. He is a true student of the sport.’

Putting it All Together

Quiller has accomplished nearly everything he possibly could at the collegiate level. He has been crowned America East champion in the pole vault numerous times, has qualified for nationals three times and can now add a national runner-up performance to his list of lengthy accomplishments. Despite all the accolades he has received, and with the outdoor season now in full swing, he still has one more goal in sight: a national championship.