Brady Vilvens knew he had achieved something special.

But on a brilliantly sunny Saturday in Rochester, N.Y., Vilvens wasn’t listening to “way to go” or “atta boy” or “great job, champ.”

Instead his ears were wide open as officials unfolded the high jump dilemma all were faced with Saturday at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at St. John Fisher University’s Polessini Track and Field Complex.

Vilvens and fellow competitor Harry Rienecker-Found of Tufts University were essentially tied for first at the end of regulation, a height of 6-9.75 in this case. In the high jump, that means a jump-off between the two athletes to determine the 2023 national champion.

Seems simple enough. Vilvens and Found would begin at a pre-determined height and lower the bar until one jumper remained. The winner would stand at the top of the podium.

But the gruelling event had taken its toll. Rienecker-Found was injured on one of his attempts at 6-11 and would not be able to participate in a jump-off.

Again, simple enough. Vilvens gets the crown.

But it wasn’t that simple, thanks to one athlete and one coach who deem respect more important than hardware and a title.

Soccer first

Brady Vilvens went to Wilmington College as a soccer player. He scored 73 goals in 46 matches wearing the orange and black of Wilmington High School. So for Vilvens to play soccer in college isn’t much of a surprise. Vilvens also displayed great leaping ability for the Hurricane basketball team, soaring over teammates and opponents to grab numerous rebounds at Fred Summers Court.

On the track, though, Vilvens was an average high school high jumper. He cleared 6-2 twice in his prep career, once at Lebanon and another time at the SBAAC Track and Field Championships at Williamsburg High School. He was sixth in the Division I District Track and Field Championships but managed to clear just 6-0 and his season and WHS jumping careers were over.

So it was off to the pitch at 1870 Quaker Way for Vilvens, who has been part of two pretty good Quaker teams as a freshman and sophomore.

“He came here for soccer,” WC track and field coach Ron Combs said. “The first time talking with him was at the (SBAAC) conference meet (his senior year). He was friends with my son Cameron. I knew he had a level of interest in track. After soccer season (at WC) was over, he came right out and began working out with us. But his priority was soccer.

“In Division III one of the things you can do is be a dual sport athlete. I’d seen him jump once or twice (in high school). He jumped well but I don’t think I was ever standing there thinking he could be a national champion.”

During his freshman year at WC, Vilvens displayed an improved effort as a high jumper.

“Ron is a great coach in the high jump,” Vilvens acknowledged. “He’s definitely helped me improve so much.”

Better but …

He cleared 6-5 and finished third in the Ohio Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2022. He did not, though, qualify for the national meet.

For the 2022-23 indoor track and field season, Vilvens fell short of 6-5 and gave no indication he was ready to take his high jump game to the next level.

But on April Fool’s Day, appropriate given the situation that unfolded this weekend, Vilvens cleared 6-7.75 in the first outdoor meet of the season. A post-season berth was within his grasp.

Alas, the very next week, Vilvens couldn’t clear opening height at the Muskingum Invitational.

“In his defense, it was a cold and dreary day,” Combs recalled. “It wasn’t good high jumping conditions.”

As Combs continued, though, he gave a nod to Vilvens’ potential and putting his sophomore on an unmatched arc for success when the season began.

“One of the things you have to think about when you make national meet in high jump is … the opening height is more than most kids are used to,” Combs said. “In most meets, Brady normally comes in at 1.8 meters (5 feet, 10 inches) but opening height at nationals will be 1.92 (6-3.5) or right there.”

As it turns out, it was the Muskingum showing that made Combs back off his approach to Vilvens and the national meet, which eventually became part of the reason the WHS graduate was able to make the NCAA Division III’s biggest stage.

Combs felt 6-7.75 would likely be good enough to make the national cutoff. However, with so much of the season remaining, it was difficult to pinpoint the actual height needed.

The outdoor campaign continued and Vilvens was good, not great. At the OAC outdoor meet, though, Vilvens began to heat back up. With his spring soccer season out of the way and classwork winding down, Vilvens finished as conference runnerup at 6-6.25.

“Here in the last three weeks, they finished up spring soccer and he wasn’t doing much other than track … legs are much fresher,” said Combs. “You could see he had an extra bounce in his step. The last three weeks, he’s really started to put it together.”

The next week, honing his technique even more, Vilvens managed a career best 6-8.25 at the Carius/Gregory Invitational, a height which Combs was confident would be good enough to get him to nationals.

The plan, or so the thinking went, would be for Vilvens to get the exposure to the big-time scene in this his sophomore campaign then really go for the podium in his final two seasons.

A competitor

Vilvens credits Combs with helping him get to the national meet but Combs, who has coached WC track and field the past 25 seasons, was quick to deflect credit elsewhere.

“I think one thing that separates Brady is he is a competitor,” said Combs, who is stepping down after this season as head coach but will continue as an assistant. “That’s something you can’t coach. He gets in there and has the belief that he can do this (win) even when, like last year, there were times when he couldn’t. That’s one thing that helps him. He thinks he can out-jump you. He thinks I’m better than you. I can’t coach that. I can’t put that in his mind. He was born with that.”

That said, Vilvens goal coming in to the season wasn’t surprising.

“2.04 (6 feet, 8 inches) was my goal coming in, that’s the height I was looking to grab,” he said. “I just kept practicing and as I kept practicing I kept moving higher and it gave me confidence. Ron helped me figure out how to jump.”

So with a large crowd on hand at 10 a.m. Saturday, Vilvens began his quest for what seemed to be a far-fetched national trophy. That he wanted simply to do his best didn’t mean Vilvens was giving up on the prize.

“It was amazing to make it there,” he said. “I was competing with myself I felt like. It’s fun to prove this isn’t the end, that I have more to give. I always kept confidence in myself.”

After clearing that always tenuous opening height, Vilvens’ changed demeanor was visible.

“When he came off the pit, you could see he was relieved,” Combs said. “He relaxed and got in to his routine.”

He cleared 6-7.5.

“There were only 12 jumpers left and I felt like I’m close,” Vilvens said. “I can do something crazy. Excitement took over, gave me the energy to get over the last two bars.”

Down went 6-8.5.

And then 6-9.75.

And there were just three jumpers remaining. Vilvens had already put himself in a previously unthinkable position. Top three in the nation.

The bar went to 6-11.

“That was the first time I had jumped at a bar that height,” he said. “I felt like I had three pretty good attempts at it.”

But none were good enough.

Something great

The other two competitors also came up short. With Vilvens and the Tufts’ jumper tied, there would be more jumps ahead to determine the victor.

“As Brady and I were talking I realized the other kid wasn’t going to take another jump, so Brady was right back up,” Combs said. “They go 2.11 (meters) to 2.08 (meters) and they would have kept going until Brady cleared a height and then he’d be declared the national champion.”

Said Vilvens, “I knew that I had achieved something great.”

He was about to achieve something greater.

Once he realized the jumper from Tufts was going to concede the rest of his attempts, Vilvens took his national crown and ripped it in half, so to speak.

“I feel like everyone was kinda confused with what was going on,” said Vilvens. “Once I fully understood the situation I didn’t give it much thought.”

Vilvens, too, passed on his jumps the rest of the way, giving up sole possession of the throne to share it with a competitor he had just went to battle against for nearly two hours.

“The guy from Tufts had jumped so well, it was just unfortunate he got hurt,” Combs said. “We asked if we can agree to share the national championship. The head official said it’s up to you. It’s more of just the respect they had for each other. Brady could have actually went through the process and it (the title) could have been his by himself.

“The kind of kid Brady is, he comes from a really good family, so it seemed like the right decision.”

For Vilvens, the shared championship doesn’t tarnish what he’s been able to do for the the town he’s grown up in. In reality, his decision only reinforces there is still good in athletes today.

“I’ve had multiple people tell me what I did was really cool,” he said. “I felt like every official at the meet wanted to shake my hand afterward. It was a unique situation because me and that kid were at the same exact place. It was just setup that we’d win the event.

“It feels great. I think the fact that I’m jumping for the school in my home town, wearing my home city on my chest … it still doesn’t feel real almost.”