Mike Stark is one of the best all-around track & field athletes in Behrend program history. He competed in hurdles, high jump, decathlon and pole vault from 2007-11. In his senior year, Stark was the track & field indoor and outdoor Most Valuable Player. He finished the year nationally ranked in the Top 30 in the pole vault and the 110m hurdles, while earning All-ECAC honors in both indoor and outdoor competition. Stark was also an USTFCCCA All-Academic choice in 2011. He graduated from Behrend with two indoor records and one outdoor record for the Lions.
It did not take long for Stark to develop into a versatile and multitalented athlete for the track & field program. In his first season, he qualified for the ECAC Championships in both the hurdles and high jump and was named the Team Rookie of the Year. While excelling in the familiar events, Stark was learning other events to in order to compete in the decathlon. In his first opportunity in the decathlon, he broke the school record and qualified for ECAC’s. By his sophomore year, he had earned All-ECAC honors in the decathlon and set a school record, which stood for seven years.
While earning the ranks of a regional decathlete, Stark learned the pole vault. He saved his best event for last, working his way to become a nationally ranked pole vaulter. Stark set the indoor school record for the vault and held the Gessling Stadium record in Pittsburgh for the next five years.
Stark was a two-time Mason-Dixon Champion in the 110 hurdles and a 12-time All-Conference selection: four times in the 110 hurdles, four in the pole vault, three in the high jump and one in the javelin. He ended his senior year ranked nationally in both the pole vault and hurdles and earned All-ECAC honors in both events, indoors and outdoors.
Years later, Stark still stands as one of the finest all-around athletes in Behrend history. Indoors, he held the 60m hurdle record for six years, and he currently ranks second all-time. At graduation, he was the indoor pole-vault record holder, and he currently ranks fifth all-time. He also ranks eighth in the high jump and long jump. Outdoors, his marks have held up. Stark remains the third-ranked 110 hurdler, the fifth pole vaulter, and the eighth high jumper, as well as second in the decathlon.