Pole vaulter has Olympic aspirations

Four years ago was the beginning of men's track and field coach Marshall Goss' career at IU. It also happened to be the first year for senior pole-vaulter Dino Efthimiou. Coach Goss and Efthimiou are a large part of the reason why the Hoosiers have returned to the Big Ten's elite. \nThe pole-vaulter graduated from Lakeland High School in LaGrange, Ind. Efthimiou has dual citizenship though. His parents are both from Greece and thus he is a legal Greek, as well American, citizen. This will allow him to make the Greece Olympic team if he earns a qualifying mark. \n"He has all the potential to (earn a qualifying mark)," Goss said. "He has to vault 18' 4". If he does that then he would have a good chance of making it for Greece."\nThe 18'4" mark would need to be made with a longer pole. Adjusting to a longer pole is more difficult for smaller pole-vaulters. Efthimiou stands only 5-foot-8 and has had a difficult time moving to a new pole. \n"I am slowly working to that. It is hard because the timing is different," he said. "My goal is to get a good height up were I can get into nationals early so I can focus on using a bigger pole."\nThere were not always Olympic aspirations for this vaulter from LaGrange. He was a 16' vaulter in high school and never competed in the state meet. With hard work and determination Efthimiou has improved two feet since he began jumping for the Hoosiers.\nLast indoor season Efthimiou qualified for the NCAA championship. He took fifth place in the event and earned all-American honors. Efthimiou again qualified for the national's in the outdoor season. That outdoor season he took second in the Big Ten Championships, which is his best finish to date. This indoor season he again qualified for the NCAA championships with a jump of 17'11." This tied his mark for third all time on the indoor list. \n"I had a disappointing indoor season," Efthimiou said. "I have not really jumped well outdoors. (Earning All-American honors) is something to work for."\nThis was the last year he will be able to jump during the indoor season but he has one more year of outdoor eligibility. He red-shirted his freshman outdoor season with fellow pole vaulter Ian Curry. Curry is also a senior and was looking forward to having a good outdoor season but a foot injury has set him back. The duo looks to have both of them finish top five in the Big Ten Championships.\n"We had top five jumps at the indoor championships (before the tragic death of a Penn State pole vaulter) so if I can get back we should be right there"