The Class of 2003

Nicole Aden, Tera Apel, Daniel Aspinwall, Kenneth Aultman,

Joshua Baker, Kevin Baker, Holly Bardell, Miles Bardell, Jason Beck, Kathleen Bentson, Jordan Berentes, Osha Bledsoe, Sarah Bloyer, Betty Boelk, Cassandra Boettner, Ember Bolen, Elizabeth Book, Amanda Born Scott, Lindsay Boyer, Samuel Bridgeland, Shannen Broenneke, Kevin Bronn, Carmen Brown, Micheal Brown, Patrick Brown, Jenna Burd, Jesse Buss,

Jason Carey, Nicholas Carey, Kristen Cassidy, Shronda Cauthen, Kimberly Cheng, Tiffany Cheng, Michael Chest, Angela Clark, Cory Clark, Daniel Cobb, Justin Cole, Jamie Coleman, Madonna Craig, Shatyra Crider, Danielle Cronk, David Culbertson, Braden Cummins, Aaron Curry,

Chelsea Dadez, Erin Dale, Mary Dale, Bruce Dallman, Asia Davis, Jenna Davis, Kimberly Davis, Kate Deininger, Kevin Dickman, Marta Dietmeier, Branden Ditzler, Lindsay Ditzler, Desiree Dose, Aaron Doyle, Peggy Drane, Colin Dreyer,

Monica Eckert, Natalie Edmond, Ashley Ellis, William Ellis, Thomas Endress, Akarem Escobedo-Lo, Zachariah Esker, Tiffany Euells,

Evelyn Farmer, Jenny Faulkner, Mark Fishburn, Adam Fogel, Kristy Foley, Cathy Fryer, Melissa Fuller, Laura Fyock,

Sarah Gagliardi, Julieta Galicia, Robert Gantzer, John Garvens, Matthew Garvens, Sara Gaskill, Jessica Gerth, Holly Goebel, Andrew Goedken, Sarah Golz, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Michael Gorsline, Lashonda Green, Zachary Grider, Kathryn Gross, Nicole Grunder, Jennifer Guentherman, Tara Gums,

Termone Hall, Aaron Hamm, Megan Hamm, Elizabeth Hand-Green, Sarah Hart, Jennifer Hartman, Jessie Hasken, Lynn Hawkins, Jack Hayes, Lauren Hebert, Jimmy Heck, Lacie Heitman, Steven Heitz II, Robert Hendrickson III, Brandon Herold, Tyler Herrmann, Jessica Hess-Cook, Nathan Heyen, Ryan Hicks, Michael Hines, Anne Hoefer, Mark Hollis, Matthew Homer, Latayllia Horde, Amanda Howard, Brandon Howarth, Joshua Hughes, Kristina Hughes,

Jaclyn Iverson,

Ciara Jackson, Benjamin Jamerson, Rick James, Amanda Jeffrey, Brooks Johnson, Tiffany Johnson, Timothy Johnson, Heather Johnston, Janell Jordan, John Jubeck,

Aaron Kaney, Alison Kanosky, Arsen Kazarov, Keith Kelly, Ryan Kerchner, Zachary Khan, Cherie Kleindl, Michelle Kleindl, John Koester, Kevin Krahmer, Jennifer Kubatzke, Justin Kubatzke, Bradley Kurtz,

Bennet Lafferty, Kenneth Lameyer, Jenna Lee, Frank Lefevre, Joseph Lennon IV, Joshua Libby, Dana Lindenmeyer, Megan Losco, Cali Jo Love, Danielle Luesnman, Ryan Lumley, Amber Lutz, Andrea Luy,

Amber Macklin, Danielle Macomber, Elizabeth Madison, Katherine Madison, Lisa Manus, Jennifer Martinez, Sheena Mathews, Karin Maxey, Ebony McClellan, John McElligott, Andrew McKenzie, Stacy McKillip, Mauricia McLin, Kellie Meier, Jeffrey Meiners, Trish Melester, Amber Miller, Jon Miller, Krista Miller, Shanon Milligan, Amanda Monigold, Kimberly Monigold, Demetris Mourtzis, Bujar Muareni, Rocky Musialek,

Tessa Neuendorf, Cory Nieman, Sarah Nyman,

Hisayizu Okave, Alma Yolanda Ortiz, Toni Otto, Jonathan Overturf,

Parin Patel, Beth Pearson, Joshua Pehl, Charlena Pempilton, Tyssa Peters, Angela Pierson, Eric Plapp, Jared Pommerening, Kristen Powell, Rajeev Pradhan, Crystal Prue, Stacia Pruitt, Anette Puskas, Peter Puskas,

Michael Rada, Chad Ranney, Tammy Rees, Nathaniel Reid, Cory Reints, Missy Rhea, Jason Rhodes, Kevia Rhyne Shaun Rice, Heather
Riley, Joanna Ritterbusch, Cyle Roberts, Gina Robinson, Tavares Robinson, Adam Roepke, April Rosse, Shawn Rowe, Aletha Rucker, Laura Rundall, Savanna Rundall,

Krista Sager, Michael Sager, William Saladino, Terreau Sanders, Elizabeth Sands, Molly Schaffer, Eric Schmelzle, Adam Schneider, Heather Schoenhard, Christine Schoof, John Schopf, Chrystal Scott, Adam Scudder, Amy Sewell, Travis Shade, Kathryn Shore, Ashley Sickinger, Annamarie Sieverns, Emily Sies, Kate Sies, Thiphanie Sithisane, Anthony Smith, Brandon Smith, Christopher Smith, Jerome Smith, Jessica Smith, Shantell Smith, James Spann, Justin Spearman, Matthew Speilman, Shannon Stewart, Kristen Stocker, Aaron Stockton, Kendra Swanson,

Edward Tallman, Curtis Terpening, Jessica Tessendorf, Vilayvanh Thatsanaphon, Jenna Thiele, Victoria Thill, Ashley L. Thompson, Ashley M. Thompson, Angela Thruman, Luis Torres,

Jacqueline Veasley, Michael Villegas, Melissa vonPlachecki, Ryan Voss,

Pink Walker, Spencer Walker, Kenneth Warren, Sara Watt, Jason Watter, Gregory Weaver, Jaedra Wedel, Andrew Wegner, Ryan Werkheiser, Markesha Whitney, Jennifer Whitson, Samantha Wichman, Derek Widmer, Tara Wilhelms, Amanda Williams, David Williams, India Williams, Jenna Wootan,

Svetlana Zarunts, Leann Zimmerman, Zachary Zimmerman.

Mark Hollis won two NAIA national pole vautl titles at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Then he vaulted in a mall in Iowa and became a YouTube sensation.

Hollis was a virtual unknown until he vaulted April 23, 2008, at a mall in West Des Moines in a publicity event for the Drake Relays. The crowd roared for Hollis and Derek Miles, who is ranked fourth in the world. Both cleared 18 feet, 8 3/4 inches, and Hollis, in particular, thrilled the 2,000 fans who jammed into the Jordan Creek Town Center. The qualifying height for the 2008 Olympics is 18 feet, 8 inches. On April 30, he raised his personal best to 18' 10-1/4" at the University of Illinois. He qualified to attend the Olympic Trials here in Eugene, Oregon.

Hollis graduated from Olivet in 2007 with a degree in sports management. After a second place finish in 2005, he won the NAIA national championship in 2006 and 2007.

Hollis set personal records in three consecutive meets. His first, a vault of 18-1 at Wheaton College, earned him a provisional invitation to the Olympic Trials. The vault at the mall earned him an automatic Trials berth, plus a trip to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, the site of the Trials, which began June 27.

Hollis finished seventh at the Prefontaine Classic at 17' 10" while Brad Walker broke the U.S. record with a vault of 19' 9-3/4". “But now I have the experience of being there, on that track,” Hollis said.

He knows an Olympic medal is not just a dream. An additional 6 inches could mean an Olympic medal; the USA’s Tim Mack and Toby Stevenson finished 1-2 in 2004 with vaults of 19' 6" and 19' 4". “I could jump 19 and a half feet this year,” Hollis said. “That’s not out of my reach.”

Hollis didn’t even make first-team all-NIC-9 at Freeport High School. Hollis finished ninth in the state as a senior, but was only honorable-mention all-conference, behind Harlem’s David Ziemann. Even in college, he was nothing like this, although he steadily improved. He placed second in the nation at Olivet at 16' 8-3/4" as a sophomore. He then won the NAIA title at 17' 2-3/4" in 2006 and repeated in 2007 at 17' 5-3/4".

His vault at the mall not only earned him an automatic bid to the Olympic Trials, but passing the ‘A’ standard meant USA Track & Field would pay for the trip. His Prefontaine invitation also came with free airfare, lodging and meals. (Photo & story info from Assistant Sports Editor Matt Trowbridge of the Rockford Register Star, June 16, 2008.)

Here's his vault at the mall:

And here he is at the University of Illinois:

And one more time, a how-to video produced by Mark's brother:

And here's a story about Mark Hollis in 2013, complete with more videos, vaulting into a bean bag chair, and "the most interesting pole vaulter in the world."