Juan Diego athlete signs, two more are undefeated

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School senior Ian Jansen signed with the University of Wisconsin Nov. 9 to compete in the decathlon and pole vault.

Jansen was the 2A 2004 and 2005 Utah State Champion in pole vault, and the 2006 3A Utah State Champion in pole vault. He holds the highest vault record in the state in both 2A and 3A. Jansen also holds the record in the 4-by-400 relay and the distance medley relay. In 2006, he qualified for the High School State Meet in pole vault, the 100 and 200 meter sprints, the 4-by-100 relay, and the long jump. He has one of the top five decathlon scores for a returning high school senior in the nation.

"I was surprised to be recruited by such a big school," said Jansen, who is relieved to have the decision behind him.

"He is a phenomenal athlete and an excellent student," said Dan John, Juan Diego track coach. "He is one of the strongest and fastest athletes I have ever worked with, and his real skill is the decathlon."

The decathlon includes the discus, shotput, javelin, high jump, long jump, pole vault, 100 meter sprint, 400 meter sprint, 1500 meter, and the high hurdles."

Casey Chow, a Utah Track Club co-founder and coach, said pole vaulting can be a dangerous sport if it is not done correctly, and it has come close to being banned from high school track programs. Jansen trains with Chow and Mike Lobue, also from the Utah Track Club, and trains much the same as a sprinter by running and lifting weights.

Chow said Jansen also competed in the Utah Summer Games in Cedar City and the junior national competitions, which extended his training beyond the high school season. Pole vaulting is a hard sport to get involved in because there are not a lot of coaching opportunities.

Jansen carries a 3.9 grade point average, and was recruited by about 10 universities. He was interested in the University of New Mexico, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Wisconsin. He was looking for a highly academic school with a good track team, and a school in a fun college town.

"Madison, Wisc., is a great college town, and the University of Wisconsin is one of the top public schools in the nation. Their track team wins the Big 10 Championship year-after-year," said his father David Jansen. "He hit it off with the coach right away and he had a great visit there. This is a fantastic opportunity for him."

Juan Diego tennis players Romina Nedakovic and Paige Miles are excellent tennis players who remain undefeated in all the matches they have played. Nedakovic placed first in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 State Championships in number one singles, and Miles placed first in the 2005 and 2006 number two singles. Nedakovic, a junior, has a record of 51-0. Miles, a sophomore, has a record of 31-0. They both play opponents from 3A, 4A and 5A high schools.

"They had a challenge match to see who would win, and Nedakovic won two out of three," said Arthur Miyazaki, Juan Diego tennis coach. "They are excellent players."

Nedakovic was born in Croatia and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1996, when she was 7 years old. She began playing tennis when she was 9 years old, and playing for Juan Diego as a freshman.

"My parents enjoyed watching tennis on television, and they wanted me to get involved," said Nedakovic. "I started playing, and have been playing constantly ever since."

Both Nedakovic and Miles take private lessons and are coached individually. They each have a personal trainer to help them build whole body strength by working their core abdominal area, sprinting, jumping rope, and using light weights for stamina. They also hit balls with each other and with other teammates to improve their skills.

Nedakovic is six feet tall and said she has an advantage over others when it comes to serving. She can put a lot of speed on the ball and place it where she wants.

Miles had a golden match in which she won every point. She was a dancer before she picked up a tennis racket. But at age 9, "she realized it was a match made in heaven," added Nedakovic about Miles.

Nedakovic and Miles both compete year-round playing in Intermountain Circuit Tournaments in Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as well as in national and sectional tournaments, in which the competition gets increasingly more advanced. Playing in these tournaments allows them to see what they need to work on to become stronger players. It also allows them to make friends in many other states.

"They have a tremendous influence on the other players on the Juan Diego team," said Miyazaki. "The players are young and just getting started, and they see if they are dedicated, work hard, train, and exercise, they can also become good players.

"Tennis is an individual sport, and a player is forced to devise his or her own game plan and realize an opponents’ strengths and weaknesses," said Miyazaki. "The coach can only talk to a player between sets. You do not have to be big and strong, you have to be determined and smart."

Nedakovic and Miles are looking forward to playing tennis in college, but are taking it one step at a time.