Once a dominant force in pole vault for Ithaca College, national champion Dominic Mikula ’24 has returned to campus to begin his coaching journey, mentoring the student-athletes following in his footsteps.
Mikula ended his pole vaulting career at the college as an eight-time All-American who was named Liberty League Outdoor Field Performer of the Year twice, a seven-time NCAA Qualifier and Indoor Niagara Region Field Athlete of the Year. He set pole vaulting records for the Bombers 10 times with his most recent indoor and outdoor marks at 5.13 and 5.11 meters in 2023.
After graduating with his Master of Science this past May, the Trumansburg native said he looks forward to returning as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track and field teams at the college.
“This was not the original plan that I had,” Mikula said. “I always wanted to get into coaching, but I didn’t know where I would end up. … It’s been very surreal, very wholesome, but also very exciting at the same time, to be able to come back to a system that I already know. … It’s such a huge thing for a young coach like myself.”
Matt Scheffler, former assistant coach of the men’s and women’s track and field team at the college, said he admired Mikula’s work ethic, drive and passion, which separated him from his competition while he was an athlete. Scheffler said he hopes that as Mikula starts his new position at the college, the athletes he coaches will adopt his strong character and mentality.
Under Scheffler’s leadership, the team’s pole vaulters have taken 44 conference titles. In the last nine years, he has coached 28 All-Americans and seven national champions — one of them being Mikula. Scheffler spent 12 years with the former student-athlete, coaching him at Charles O. Dickerson High School and Ithaca College. Mikula said Scheffler was a large influence in how he saw pole vaulting and how he performed throughout his career.
In the last few seasons, Scheffler said he was challenged with the decision of when the best time to retire would be. As a father of two, Scheffler said he wants to be more present in his childrens’ lives, specifically mentioning that he feels that he misses his nine-year-old daughter’s journey in athletics.
“When I’m over there coaching, when I’m traveling on the weekends, I’m working with everyone else’s kids, but mine are going by the wayside,” Scheffler said. “You don’t get another chance for that so I think that was probably the biggest factor for me, just being able to spend more time with my family.”
Scheffler said he calls Mikula his “mini-me” and said that he is confident that the team is in good hands.
“Ithaca pole vault[ers] have a great legacy of success,” Scheffler said. “[Mikula is] someone that wants that to continue, so he’s the guy to do it. I can’t think of anyone else that I would put in that position.”
Now that the national champion has also claimed the title of coach, he plans to model Scheffler’s philosophies, including prioritizing personal guidance over standardized techniques.
“Pole vault is such an event where if you don’t trust your coach, it’s never gonna end up well,” Mikula said. “The trust and the relationship and the rapport between a coach and its athlete makes a huge difference. I want to continue that type of coaching into the future with the student–athletes.”
Mikula and Scheffler are not the only ones that share these values. Jennifer Potter ’92, head coach for women’s track and field, joined the coaching staff at her alma mater nearly a decade after graduating. Potter said she knew that she wanted to be a coach since seventh grade and that her passion for the sport is a fundamental part of her role that goes beyond a single event. She said that, like her, Mikula was an athlete who supported all events in track and field. Aside from being Ithaca College graduates, the head coach said she and Mikula share similarities in their coaching styles and their passion for the sport.
“I think I kind of call myself a track dork,” Potter said. “Dom is the same way when it comes to track in all the events. … We want to see people succeed, and we want to challenge them to do things they didn’t think they could do, and I definitely feel that Dom and I have that kind of very similar personality or skill set when it comes to coaching.”
Potter described the shift as a natural transition and expressed her confidence in the former athlete’s coaching ability not only because of his knowledge of the sport, but because of his comfort with the facilities, college and athletes.
Senior pole vaulter Shaun Herlihy shared two seasons with Mikula and said he and a few teammates were excited about Scheffler’s retirement. With Scheffler leaving, Herlihy said the team had concerns of who would take his place. He said it was the confirmation that their former teammate would be joining the coaching staff that gave them a sigh of relief.
“He’s always taken a leadership or captain-coach role on the team, so it doesn’t feel too different than it was,” Herlihy said. “The biggest difference is calling him coach, but we’re all very excited.”
Herlihy said his outgoing, hard working and caring nature inspired him to do the same and pass on what he’s learned from Mikula to future Bomber athletes.
“I think [the program] has a lot of potential,” Herlihy said. “Two years ago [the team had] what I would say was one of our best years for pole vault. … I definitely think that with him being the coach, we’ll see the program rising.”
