In February 2024, Caiden Macktinger dislocated and shattered every bone in his left foot while pole vaulting. His surgeon said recovery could take two years. A little over a year later, on March 1, he took first place at the RMAC Indoor Championship for men’s pole vault.
When Macktinger broke his left foot, he was a first-class cadet, or senior undergraduate student in civilian terms, at the United States Air Force Academy. He qualified twice for the outdoor pole-vaulting event while at the Air Force Academy.
Macktinger had to go through relentless physical therapy to get back in shape. He had to endure intricate foot muscle stretches and workouts, then advance to ankle mobility. This led him to weight bearing workouts on the treadmill, slowly adding pressure on his foot to build strength.
Eventually, Macktinger would begin to run, building strength every day until he was back to pole vaulting in just five months. “I was very lucky to be jumping again in five months, but it wasn’t pretty,” Macktinger said.
After graduating as a second lieutenant with a Bachelor of Science in biology in May 2024, Macktinger had little choice in where life would next take him. Since the Academy only offers undergraduate degrees, Macktinger decided to stay in Colorado and attend UCCS for grad school. His main reason for choosing UCCS was its championship record in DII track and field.
“They just happened to be the best DII track school in the conference. They pretty much sweep every year. That and they bring a lot of people to national championships,” said Macktinger.
Coming to UCCS, Macktinger wanted to focus on a different subject: communication. “There’s a lot to be said about communication. I am an officer in the military, so being able to communicate clearly and effectively is one of the best skills you can have,” Macktinger said.
Since joining the Mountain Lions, Macktinger has broken school records, won the individual men’s pole-vaulting event at the RMAC Indoor Championship and obtained All-American status after finishing eighth at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championship “The competition and all the other factors made it something I am very proud of,” said Macktinger.
Macktinger is still chipping away at his master’s degree through online courses. Macktinger does administrative work at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi and will move to Arizona in June to begin flight school.
Macktinger said he is competing in the outdoor track and field season this semester which started on March 21.
Caiden Macktinger competes at the Mountain Lion Open on Feb. 15. Archive photo by Joseph Impellitteri.