# How Michigan’s Kourtney Rathke Balances Pole Vault and Engineering | Hail To Her

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/champ-media-7507272/how-michigan-s-kourtney-rathke-balances-pole-vault-and-engineering-hail-to-her
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/champ-media-7507272/how-michigan-s-kourtney-rathke-balances-pole-vault-and-engineering-hail-to-her.md
Podcast: [Champ Media](https://stenobird.com/podcast/champ-media-7507272)
Published: 2026-06-04T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/college-sports-co/episodes/How-Michigans-Kourtney-Rathke-Balances-Pole-Vault-and-Engineering--Hail-To-Her-e3k8d76
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/1070df374/podcast/play/120910502/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-2%2F425381555-44100-2-468456f375d32.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/champ-media-7507272/episodes/how-michigan-s-kourtney-rathke-balances-pole-vault-and-engineering-hail-to-her
Duration seconds: 1139

## Resource

Michigan pole vaulter Kourtney Rathke joins Hail To Her to break down one of college sports’ most unique events, life as a Wolverine, and balancing Division I athletics with an engineering degree. From growing up in Boulder, Colorado to competing in the Big Ten and chasing NCAA postseason goals, Kourtney shares what pole vault actually feels like, how Michigan supports student-athletes, the mental side of competition, and her experience with NIL.Chapters:0:00 – Meet Kourtney Rathke1:32 – Growing up in Boulder & finding track2:14 – How pole vault works explained3:39 – Training, lifting & gymnastics crossover4:40 – The mental side while in the air5:47 – Why she chose Michigan6:16 – How track recruiting works7:04 – Adding long jump in college8:47 – Michigan track practice behind the scenes9:32 – Big Ten postseason update11:31 – Balancing engineering + athletics14:06 – Impostor syndrome in college sports15:06 – Goals for the rest of her career15:52 – NIL deals and athlete branding18:21 – Final thoughts Learn more about our partnership with Champions Circle: https://www.collegesportsco.com/news/champions-circle-and-college-sports-co-launch-champ-mediaFOLLOW CHAMP MEDIA HERE:► TWITTER | https://x.com/ChampMediaCo► TIKTOK | https://www.tiktok.com/@champmediaco► INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/champmediaco► YOUTUBE | https://www.youtube.com/@ChampMediaCo► SPOTIFY | ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2tW4bh8jQggJuDCpDnVo9k⁠► APPLE | ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/champ-media/id1840236194► FACEBOOK | https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dr7P6YEsv/?mibextid=wwXIfr#MichiganWolverines #GoBlue #TrackAndField

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