On Saturday, as senior pole vault athlete Dave Bollinger stared intently at the next height he would have to clear, he couldn't help but think about the date on the calendar.

It was April 17, one day after what was supposed to be Kevin Dare's 22nd birthday.

Dare, Bollinger's teammate and best friend, died following a pole vault accident during the Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2002.

"I was just praying every time out there," Bollinger said after Saturday's Nittany Lion Relays. "It was his birthday yesterday so it was kind of an extra motivation."

As Bollinger got closer to his personal-best mark, fans would cheer as he calmly dragged the pole back to the starting line, praying while gathering his emotions.

And it seemed like the inspiration worked. Bollinger set his personal best in the pole vault by clearing a height of 17 feet -- an NCAA regional qualifying mark.

He set his previous record (16-feet, 3/4-inches) at the Nittany Lion Relays in 2001.

"As close as those two were, I'm sure he was on his mind," assistant coach Mark Gottdenker said. "Good athletes can take what may be a distraction to other people and turn it into a motivating factor."

Bollinger's father, Roy, has been one of his most supportive fans, cheering and encouraging his son from the stands.

"I think he deserves where he's at now because he has worked long and hard to get here and sets his goals high for himself, which is very good," Roy Bollinger said.

Gottdenker said Dave Bollinger used the tailwind to his advantage and said that if an athlete can control the wind, the stronger it is, the better.

There is no illegal tailwind in the pole vault competition, unlike in some of the other events, because it is a more technical event and not purely a physical one.

"When all the different things we've been working on come together, I'd like to say we all expect him to jump that well," Gottdenker said. "Because that's the kind of athlete he is and that's the kind of expectations he has of himself."

Bollinger has specifically been working on the plant and driving through the pole more at the bottom of the jump.

"He's one of the more motivated, driven and focused athletes around," Gottdenker said. "All these factors add up at some point and when it happens, big performances fall into place."

Dare also was a standout in the pole vault.

One of his greatest moments came during the United States Track and Field Junior National Championships in June 2001 when he won the pole vault with a height of 16-feet, 6 3/4-inches.

In addition to setting his personal best, Bollinger also had a chance to break the Penn State outdoor record in the pole vault (17-feet, 5-inches), but fell just short.

The record was set by Mason Ternay in 1991.

"I'm still on the pretty short pole so soon as I move up in the pole, it should come," Bollinger said.

Bollinger's father and Gottdenker both say that Bollinger can set the record.

"It's a good, solid record, but having jumped that high and gotten into that range I'd like to think it's possible by the end of the season, if we get good conditions and everything comes together," Gottdenker said.

In the coming weeks, it will help if Bollinger stays healthy if he is going to break the Penn State record.

He has battled some injuries in the past, including 2002 when he missed the indoor track season after having surgery to repair an injury to a muscle in his upper leg.

Bollinger said that, in addition to the record, he is looking forward to the Big Tens and the NCAA championships.

He already has the necessary drive and motivation, and it is just a question of following through.

"He's right there for the record, and he's not going to be happy until he gets the record. And that's his goal and I think he's going to be there," Roy Bollinger said. "But sometimes it's disappointing for him a lot of times too, of course with the incident with his best friend Kevin.

"I'm sure it's always in the back of his mind at all times."