Chico State Athletics

2020
Appeared in one event at the March 6–7 Kim Duyst Invitational before the cancellation of the 2020 track & field season…Finished sixth in the pole vault with a personal best height of 4.25m…Earned 2019–20 CCAA All-Academic honors.
 
2019
Competed in five meets during the 2019 season...Notched a season-best height of 4.13m in the pole vault April 13, 2019 at the Woody Wilson Classic.
 
2018
Appeared in six meets in the 2018 campaign…Twice cleared the bar at 4.20m.
 
Pre-Chico Days
A 2017 graduate of Center High School in Antelope…Competed in the 100m and 200m dash, 110m hurdles, pole vault, long jump, and shot put during his prep track career…Earned Outstanding Track & Field Performance honors as a senior…Also lettered in football…All-Pioneer Valley League linebacker selection in 2016.
 
Personal
Born October 28, 1999, in Sacramento…Son of Igor Kostyshak…Has two older siblings, Nellie and Lilly…The person he most admires in sports is world pole vault record holder Mondo Duplantis…Favorite instructor at Chico State is Dr. Jack Azevedo…Why he chose to attend Chico State: “Katrina Rodriguez, the former pole vault coach, and head coach Oliver Hanf, gave me the opportunity and courage to walk on to the track & field team. It was a dream come true, and I immediately felt engulfed in the family-type atmosphere that sport teams have here at Chico State”…His greatest sports moment is hitting a personal record during a Chico State intersquad meet, right before COVID hit (“the pole vault was one of the last events going, and we had the entire team gathered around to watch the vault”) …The most interesting thing he’s ever done is gone skydiving with teammates, received his motorcycle license, and is now working on his scuba diving certification (“Pilots license coming soon”)…The most impressive thing he’s ever accomplished is being invited to walk on to a college track & field team after learning to pole vault in high school with no coach (“I learned off YouTube”)…Has learned by competing in track & field that “there are certain things that are going to happen, many of which you can’t control. However, what we can control is how we react and respond to these situations, and that is what defines us”…Enjoys working out at the gym, educating himself on financial literacy, going on adventures, and trying new things when he has some free time…Says “I’m always willing to try new things, even when I’m afraid”…Has played the piano, guitar, trumpet, and accordion at some points in his life…Can speak English, Ukranian, and Russian…At the top of his bucket list: “I have too many to count. I am always willing to try anything at least once!”…Best advice ever received came from his dad: “Focus on what you can control, rather than worry about what you can’t”…Majoring in exercise physiology…Hopes to attend Life Chiropractic College West to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and open up his own practice.