Men's pole vaulter James Rhoads has decided to not compete for the Red and Blue during his senior year at Penn, maintaining two years of NCAA eligibility for a future transfer.
Credit: Kylie CooperRising senior and pole vault powerhouse James Rhoads has declared his intention to walk off the Penn men’s track and field team and enter the transfer portal after three years of setting the bar — and flying over it — for the Red and Blue.
“I am forever grateful for the stripes,” he wrote in an announcement on Instagram. “The people of Penn T&F have transformed my life, and the program itself has given me everything I wanted. Unfortunately, my future goals do not align with my current situation here at Penn and in the Ivy League, among some other personal reasons.”
He will remain at Penn for his senior year and finish his degree while taking a gap year from the sport and competing unattached. Counting the planned time off, he will enter the transfer portal next month with two years of remaining eligibility.
“All of the factors were uniquely personal to my situation, and my decision is not at all a reflection of any issues within Penn’s program,” Rhoads added in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I am motivated by the desire to put myself in the best possible position to pursue vaulting at the highest level, while still being able to prepare for life after the sport, which is inevitably going to come.”
The announcement comes after a standout year for Rhoads at the top of Ivy League and national leaderboards. Most recently, he earned an appearance at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. for the Olympic Trials, where he represented Penn in the men’s pole vault alongside 2024 graduate Scott Toney. At the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, Rhoads secured a spot in the final and finished in sixth place after a jump of 5.52 meters.
Unforgettably, at the Mt. SAC Relays in mid-April, Rhoads immortalized his name in Quakers and Ivy League history by smoking the outdoor pole vault program record of 5.52m — set in 1993 — and cresting the bar at a dazzling 5.62m. The jump is the third highest in Ivy League history.
His accolades while at Penn also include 2024 first team All-America in indoor and outdoor pole vault, 2024 Ivy Heptagonal champion in outdoor pole vault, 2024 second team All-Ivy in indoor pole vault, 2024 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area, and 2023 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic.
Undoubtedly, Rhoads is exiting the NCAA stage as a rising star, but he’s resolute in his choice to step out of the spotlight while he works.
He expects training unattached to be “difficult both mentally and logistically,” but he is confident that his gap year will give him more time to “develop as an athlete and far increase his chances of continuing the sport after college.”
“Given that this decision will have such a big impact on me, I made sure to plan accordingly,” he added to the DP. “I first considered the idea in late September, then in January I made up my mind and began working on a training program. After 100-plus total hours it is complete, and it contains everything I will need to be successful.”
He plans to compete as long as he can “stay relevant in the sport” but maintains that the time he spends on the sport must “yield worthwhile returns.”
He described to the DP various aspects of his workout plan, which includes a goal of working to add about 20 centimeters to his jump in order consider pursuing the sport professionally.
His training plan includes 10 categories of improvement that span many aspects of his life outside of the sport, as well as a modular training system, in which every workout “type” is independent of one another, each with different versions to progress as he moves through training phases throughout the year.
He plans to have a full indoor and outdoor season just like he did at Penn.
“As you can tell, it’s a lot to think about,” he said of his plan. “I’ve tried to get all of the planning out of the way early, so that during the year I can focus solely on perfecting my vault, free of stress or worry associated with the logistics of planning workouts and such. It’s almost like I created my own coach.”
In light of his early exit, Rhoads reflected very positively on his time at Penn and the relationships he’s formed with his teammates and coaches.
“When I announced I would be entering the portal, all of the initial responses from my teammates were very supportive, which I think attests to the strong relationships built here,” he said to the DP. “Looking back on my three years here, I realize I came in very shy, [but I] grew so much being surrounded by such a fun, tight knit group. Now, I am proud to say that I was able to contribute heavily to the cultivation of this sense of community, and I will continue to do so next year even when I am off the team.”
When asked about competing next year — including possibly against his former teammates at Penn — Rhoads acknowledged the tradeoff created by his decision.
He is excited to attend bigger meets and “experience more of the pole-vault community,” but he still plans to jump at many meets that Penn attends and thinks that it will be “good fun” to compete against his former teammates instead of with them.
Finally, as he takes his next step in both life and sport, Rhoads is considering many factors — including how his unattached training goes — in order to decide where his next attachment may be.
“This is a tough question right now,” he said. “I can say for certain that facilities, geographic location, and money are all high priority for me, but that could change as I move forward. I won’t elaborate further on this yet, because as of now I am totally open to considering all universities — you never know when the best opportunity will present itself.”
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