For Marquette track and field senior pole vaulter James Kubik, walking on to the team after trying out was not the only challenge he faced during his four years on the team.
Originally coming to Marquette for its biomedical engineering program, the Carol Stream, Illinois, native found his way onto the team, competing as a pole vaulter at a school close to home.
After being on the “borderline” of making the team, track and field head coach and director Bert Rogers said Kubik steadily improved over time and became one of the team’s biggest assets.
“He was a bit of a wily freshman coming in, but every year he got better and got stronger,” Rogers said.