Rick Valcin, a 2012 graduate of Cowley College, is representing Saint Lucia at the 2014 
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Valcin is competing in the pole vault and 100-meter dash, and as part of the 4×100-meter relay team. While at Cowley, Valcin was an all-conference and all-region pole vaulter during the 2012 indoor season, and the conference and region pole vault champion during the 2012 outdoor season. Valcin went on to place fifth in the pole vault at the 2012 NJCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. He also represented Saint Lucia at the prestigious Pan American Games in 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Cowley head track and field coach Mark Phillips is proud to see his former athlete earn the opportunity to compete at the Commonwealth Games, the third largest multi-sport event in the world, after the Olympic Games and the Asian Games. “It’s an amazing accomplishment considering where Rick came from,” Phillips said. “I knew he had the ability, but he did not have much of a background in the pole vault when he came to school here. “He was a great person to work with and his athletic ability combined with his work ethic have led him to where he is today.” This past season, while competing at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, Valcin won the 2014 NCAA D-III Pole Vault National Championship by clearing a school record 16 feet, 10.75 inches, the highest mark in Division III this year. He also won the 100-meter dash and pole vault at the Iowa Conference Championships. For his efforts, Valcin was named the University of Dubuque Male Student-Athlete of the Month for April and May. more
