KUTZTOWN, Pa. – There may always be two ways to take news, positively and negatively. No matter what the situation, a person can view a circumstance from both perspectives at once. That's how junior Xavier Feliciano (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) of the Kutztown University men's track & field team received the news about the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two weeks ago to this day.
 
Feliciano was set to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, the first national event of his career.
 
"At first, I was very disappointed," said Feliciano. "My coaches and I had put countless hours into getting physically and mentally ready for this upcoming spring season, and I was disappointed that I would not be able to compete. However, we quickly started thinking about it in a positive way. We had made it this far this season and, as a junior, and that is an amazing feeling. Therefore, we are looking forward to next year knowing we have the potential to come back and compete with the best in the nation."
 
Feliciano, along with assistant coach (pole vault), Tony Dodds, were down in Birmingham, Alabama, preparing for nationals before news started spreading. Programs surrounding NCAA's, including the annual banquet the night before, started getting canceled, followed by word from the NCAA office that winter championships were canceled. The Indoor Championships were to be held two weeks ago today, on Friday, March 13.
 
"After the pre-meet (Thursday), Coach Dodds received word that the NCAA was canceling the banquet," Feliciano said. "After the notification that the banquet had been cancelled, the athletes and their coaches knew that there was a very high possibility that the meet was going to be cancelled as well. That night, everyone had a very saddened expression, but we all tried to make the best out of our last night in Alabama. The next morning, everyone packed up and left."
 
Feliciano was just the fourth Golden Bear vaulter to earn a spot at indoor nationals since 2010, joining Will Hodges (2010), Lanny Buck (2015) and Brandon Raguz (2018).
 
The Kennett Square native has had the most successful season of his career this winter in Maroon and Gold. He earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Atlantic Region honors for the second straight year. The week prior to hearing that news, Feliciano cleared 15-feet, 7-inches (4.75m) to capture the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Championship in the pole vault on Feb. 29. He became KU's first conference champion in the event since Percell Berry in 2012. Feliciano's career-best jump of 16'4.5" (4.99m) at the Kutztown Last Chance Qualifier, Feb. 21, was the one that ultimately put him in the national field. He moved up to fifth on Kutztown's indoor top 10 list and the jump stood as the 16th best this season in NCAA Division II.
 
"During the summer, I mainly focused on cardio and improving my cardiovascular system," said Feliciano. "This winter season started out very well. Coach Dodds and I worked hard to improve my form overall. We started off by breaking the jump apart in order to understand where my form was lacking. It was just a matter of putting the pieces together. As a result, I began to jump higher, because I was focusing on the little aspects of the jump. Focusing on form and allowing my body to recover from practices really helped to prepare me for the upcoming meets. Pole vaulting is a very complex event. Sometimes your run can be great, but the way you take off and finish at the top could be the problem. Pole vaulting is also a mental game. If there is anything that I have learned this season, it is that you have to trust the process and control what you can control. There are many times when we try to control things that we physically have no control over. I believe that is a very important lesson that this sport has taught me over the years."
 
With the PSAC then following suit, announcing the cancellation of the spring sports season, Feliciano already began to turn the page on his junior year and look towards his senior season, which he plans to do even bigger and better things.
 
"This summer I will be training on my own," Feliciano said. "I will work to stay in shape and to find more ways to better myself in order to set myself up for my final year. Coach Dodds always says, 'Who's driving the bus?', meaning that we are all in control of our destiny. I know I will work hard this summer and fall to prepare myself to have my best season yet."
 
Feliciano, like all of his teammates, are looking forward to being able to train for the sport that they love. He has enjoyed success and camaraderie in his two years in the Kutztown program. Before his final season, Feliciano is able to reflect on his time thus far.
 
"My time here at Kutztown has been great," said Feliciano. "I have made many friends both on and off the track. I also feel that I have really grown as a student athlete here at KU. This year, I was fortunate enough to be picked as a Team Captain. I am grateful that the coaching staff has as much trust in me as I do in them to make this team better. We treat each other as a family and that is what I love the most about this program."

Kutztown track & field will have a great leader back in 2020-21.