SOMERS, N.Y. - In mid-June, Ethan Steuber made yet another trip to the state championships. Having already qualified twice for wrestling, this was his second appearance in pole vaulting, and the Tusker didn’t get there by accident.
"Working harder, I paid more attention to the little details I was missing," said the senior. "Cutting down the omissions really made a difference."
He improved from 24th place in 2025 to eighth this year.
"My best finish for the last competition, I'll take it," said Steuber.
His vault of 12 feet, 6 inches was two feet shy of first place, but the gap wasn't as large as it appeared.
"I just couldn't get my standards right," he said.
In other words, Steuber had difficulty finding the proper plant point for the pole.
"I would have been on it," he said.
Having cleared 14 feet in practice, the rainy, cold conditions also worked against him.
"The poles bend less," said Steuber.
Still, the Tusker measured up. He cleared 11 feet, 6 inches and then 12 feet, 6 inches. At the next height, Steuber appeared to have enough elevation.
"I was way above it but came down on top of the bar," he said of his first two attempts.
With one final chance remaining, the pole vaulter remained confident.
"I was pretty confident," Steuber said.
Unfortunately, the same scenario played out on his final attempt.
"It was hard to swallow. But I was still appreciative of being there and getting the opportunity to compete," Steuber said.
Steuber's final high school competition isn't the end of his pole vaulting career. He will continue competing at Fordham University.
That decision meant leaving his wrestling career behind.
"It was a really hard choice," he said. "I had a few schools interested in me for wrestling, and I had a few schools interested in me for track. So it came down to the location of the school and what was going to better my professional career."
Majoring in business, Steuber also signed on with the school's ROTC program.
"I just knew I wanted to serve, and my goal is to become a Marine Corps pilot," said the future Ram.
With boot camp ahead, Steuber is confident he'll embrace the challenge.
"I'm more excited than nervous," he said. "I think I'm going to meet some really cool people."
Still, there's no getting away from the athletic experience he had at Somers.
"I've gotten a perspective of so many different elements of sports that I will be able to use in school and in the Marine Corps," the multi-sport standout said.
The move to New York City isn't much of a concern either.
"I'm still close to home. My biggest supporters are right near me," he concluded. "So I don't think I have anything to worry about."
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here