Heiderscheidt signs with River Falls
Medford’s Lydia Heiderscheidt, center right, puts pen to paper signing her letter of intent to join the University of Wisconsin, River Falls track and field team for the 2026 season. Heiderscheidt chose UWRF to continue her pole vaulting career and for its elementary education program. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
Medford senior pole vaulter Lydia Heiderscheidt took her career as a student-athlete to new heights when she officially signed on to be a part of the University of Wisconsin, River Falls (UWRF) track and field team last week.
Heiderscheidt was originally planning on attending Winona State University, but a late shake-up in the school’s track and field program caused the senior standout to flip to the Falcons.
“If you would have asked me last year, I was pretty dead set on going to Winona State. I wanted to pole vault, but it wasn’t a make-or-break deal. But when I talked to their coaches this fall, they let me know that they dropped their pole vaulting program. It made me a lot more disappointed than I thought it would,” said Heiderscheidt.
The senior standout enters her final season with one goal in mind before taking her talents to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
“To have the commitment is a bit of a weight off of my shoulders, but I have been striving for the school record for the past few years, so now is my last shot to get that,” said Heiderscheidt.
The current Tigers’ record stands at nine feet, two inches set by Callie Nagel back in 2015.
According to Heiderscheidt, her most recent event at the USA Track and Field indoor championship saw her come close to nailing a nine-foot attempt, but she clipped her foot on the bar to keep her from setting a new personal record.
However, pole vaulting is not the only reason Heiderscheidt made the switch to UWRF.
“They’re close, they’re affordable, they have a really phenomenal elementary education program – which I’m going to major in – and they wanted me for track and field. So that made it an easy decision,” said Heiderscheidt.
Fans can watch the senior aim for Medford’s pole vaulting record when the team competes in its first outdoor meet at Plainview-Elgin-Millville on Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m.