Chico State Athletics

Paul Kostyshak started learning how to pole vault by watching YouTube videos. It was a mixed bag.
 
"There were definitely a few times that I tried to progress way quicker than I should have. I definitely had a few wipeouts," said Kostyshak.
 
The Wildcat of the Week never quit, however, and eventually earned a spot on the Chico State track and field team. This year, Kostyshak became the co-President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
His journey from face down on the concrete to leader among leaders has included some phenomenal guides, topmost being his father, Igor.
 
Igor and Luba Kostyshak fled Ukraine with Paul's two older sisters in the early 1990s. They came to the United States as refugees, looking for a better life," said Paul, the youngest of their three children and the only one born in the United States.
 
Paul, who is living with his father during the pandemic, tells his father's story like this:
 
"He had jobs and friends, and yet, to provide a better opportunity for his family, he came to the United States with basically nothing more than a suitcase. He worked in the tomato fields and worked at a pizza place, eventually moving up in terms of career and doing all he could to provide for his family. That kind of work ethic has been transferred to me and continues with me."
 
Paul's mother passed away when he was 13, and a year later, he turned to sports to help him get over his depression.
 
"I wanted to put more effort into making sure she would be proud of everything I did, from grades to sports," Kostyshak said.
 
He excelled in every area, earning All-League honors as a linebacker on the football team, the track and field team's Outstanding Performance Award, and the Center High School Scholars Award for Academic Excellence.
 
Kostyshak got into track and field in order to stay in shape for football. He started out as a sprinter, but early in his sophomore year he watched a pole vault competition and was immediately hooked.
 
"I asked my coach if I could get involved and he told me I would basically have to learn on my own because our team did not have a pole vault coach," Kostyshak said. "The next day I hopped on YouTube and started learning how to pole vault."
 
Kostyshak set an early personal record of 10-feet-6, but did not make much progress for a while. Then, at the beginning of his senior year, Kostyshak began commuting 30 minutes to Del Oro every day after school to train with coach Kent Rhodes. He increased his PR by three feet in less than a month.
 
"That felt amazing," said Kostyshak, who calls Rhodes and great man and great influence on his life. "He truly turned my life around in terms of the pole vault."
 
Unfortunately, COVID-19 has wiped out Kostyshak's final two years of pole vaulting at the collegiate level.
 
He will graduate this spring with his degree in exercise physiology and plans to attend Life Chiropractic College in Hayward.
 
"I definitely did not achieve what I wanted to in terms of my track goals," he lamented.
 
In a bittersweet twist, Kostyshak felt primed for a big season and cleared his best season-opening height at the 2019 Stanislaus State Kim Duyst Invitational.
 
"Everything seemed to be coming together," he said. "I had been hitting new weight training PRs and I had been focused on my nutrition. It was very exciting."
 
As was the case with many Wildcats, the season cancellation was a tough blow for Kostyshak. But he has fond memories of his experience on the team.
 
"The opportunity to compete with these people I now call my friends and family has been amazing," Kostyshak said. "Pole vault is a very unique sport that puts you in the brightest and darkest places in your mind. To be able to go through it with people who are just as passionate about it as you really makes it all worthwhile."
 
He's also made important contributions to the entire Department of Athletics as a member of SAAC.
 
Kostyshak was an important voice during the referendum to save Chico State intercollegiate Athletics during his freshman year. And he's been a driving force behind SAAC since COVID-19 hit, leading a number of major initiatives. For one, thanks in part to Kostyshak's leadership, the department smashed its goal for the Walk to End Alzheimer's.
 
"The thing that keeps me going is the passion of the people who are involved," Kostyshak said. "Even through these difficulties, students have new ideas of what we can achieve during this time."
 
Difficulties don't stop Kostyshak. He'll figure out how to get over them, even if it means watching a YouTube tutorial.
 
Do you know a Wildcat who deserves to be considered for a Wildcat of the Week honor? We're looking for current student-athletes who are making you proud athletically, academically, and/or in the community. If you have an idea, please take a moment to let us know by completing this five-question survey.