MARION, Ind. – The Master’s University’s Caleb Pouliot came less than two inches from claiming his third national title in two years on the final day of the 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Track & Field National Championships in Marion, Ind.

Pouliot cleared 5.25 meters (17′ 2 2/3″), a personal best for the junior and a program record at The Master’s, but so did Zach Zohner from Concordia (NE) University. However, after the bar was raised to 5.30m, neither jumper could make the height. So it came to a tiebreaker, which is the fewest missed attempts. On that the title went to Zohner.

Pouliot didn’t expect to make it this far. Less than a year ago he had surgery to repair a completely torn labrum in his right shoulder. The subsequent rehab made it difficult to train and prepare for competition.

“I learned how to learn this year,” Pouliot said. “Learning spiritually how to handle being set back and how to be lowly. The Bible is always talking about how we need to be lowly because He exalts the lowly. So I really tried to humble myself this year and just continue to work hard. When I finally started to see progress, it was a great time to give thanks.”

Through the spring he saw even more progress, winning the GSAC title in April and gaining strength every day. He allowed himself the opportunity to prepare for nationals.

“Leading up to this competition it was a great time for me to write down these things of help,” he said. “I wanted the Lord’s help in this competition, but I tried to stay away from ‘help me to win, help me to PR, help me to do all these things.’ So I really tried to stay in the lane of ‘Help me to remember your faithfulness and goodness, help me to depend on you, help me to give you thanks and help me to stay humble win or lose.’ So that was my main goal coming into the competition.”

Ellen Palmgren finished out her outdoor career with an eighth-place finish in the 800m final. She was grateful to once again stand on the podium and accept another All-American title.

“My time at the Master’s can be best described by Ephesians 3:20-21 which says ‘Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or understand, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.'” Palmgren said. “My time at The Master’s has been such a testament to what the Lord is able to do through weak vessels. He has given me a lot of trials to walk through, entrusting myself to Him and relying on His strength to make it through. The 800 final is just another example of that. I woke up this morning with a terrible migraine and fever and I really didn’t know if I’d be able to walk around the track two times, let alone run. But by His grace and strength and His provision of my wonderful parents and grandparents and everyone else I know who were praying for me, I was able to be strengthened to run today and in His sovereignty I got another All-American title. There is nothing I can claim for myself this weekend because every step I took on that track was a step of faith and dependence on the Lord.”

Jack Anderson finished 11th in the 1500m final with a time of 3:53.94; Brint Laubach (15:08.52) finished 15th and Connor Ybarra (15:37.43) finished 16th in the 5000m final; Josh Williamson came in 22nd in the shot put with a throw of 15.86m (52′ 1.2″).