PENDLETON, Ind. — There was a period this spring when it appeared as though Pendleton Heights senior Ellie McCardwell would not be able to defend her state pole vault championship.

A nagging shoulder injury cut short her indoor season, and by March it was threatening to wipe out her outdoor season as well.

The approach for pole vault and long jump is similar. Both events require good balance and outstanding body control.

If he couldn’t use McCardwell in her marquee event, Arabians head coach Ron Hinton would settle for the next best thing.

So long jump it was.

The shoulder got better, and McCardwell eventually won a second state championship — becoming the first athlete in Pendleton Heights history to do so.

But she doesn’t like to leave anything unfinished. So McCardwell kept working on her long jump.

In the beginning, she was leaping a respectable 14-feet, 6-inches. In May, she won the sectional title with a jump of 17-2 — good enough to qualify for the state meet in the event.

“I wanted to (compete at state),” McCardwell said. “But my pole vault coach (Bob Potter) thought it would be a bad idea.”

Still, the episode underscores the vast athletic ability in McCardwell’s possession.

In that same sectional competition, her final home meet at Pendleton Heights, McCardwell set a personal record in the pole vault by clearing 13-7. For good measure, she anchored the 4x100-meter relay team that won the sectional crown with a school record time of 51.94 seconds.

For her efforts, McCardwell has been named The Herald Bulletin’s Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the third time.

“Ellie is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete that comes through for a coach,” Hinton said. “She works hard for herself, but she’s also such a nice person. Very intelligent and very caring about others.”

Hinton said McCardwell helped push that relay team to new heights. He’s seen her help countless teammates on the track, but he’s also seen her help fellow students in the classroom.

McCardwell was salutatorian for the Class of 2010, which meant she was expected to speak during the graduation ceremony. Not nervous in the least, McCardwell said the experience was fun.

“I kept it short and sweet,” she said.

In September, she’ll head to one of the nation’s most prestigious universities: Stanford. She’s thinking about majoring in international studies and economics.

Hinton believes she has an eye on becoming a future ambassador.

McCardwell is looking forward to the academic challenge even more than the pole vault competition in the Pac-10.

“That’s what I’ll be making my living on,” she said. “That decides the rest of my life, not really pole vaulting.”

It’s an ultra-rare sentiment to hear from a superstar athlete, but it’s right in line with McCardwell’s history.

She’s very active in her church youth group, and she takes great pride in helping others.

Last year, she spearheaded a campaign that raised $11,000 for 410 Bridge — an organization that provides clean drinking water in Kenya.

She’s already scouted churches near Stanford, and she’s excited about getting involved in the Cardinal’s on-campus public service center.

“More so even than track or academics, that part of my life is most important to me,” McCardwell said. “It’s even more rewarding to help somebody out who maybe can’t help themselves.”

It’s that devotion to others that truly separates McCardwell.

She finished fourth Friday at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., adding that to her second-place showing last year.

On June 25, she’ll be one of 25 student-athletes across the country to be featured in a special “Got Milk?” advertisement in USA Today.

These are just the latest examples of the fruits of her astonishing athletic gifts.

But one day her feats on the track, in the field and as an Arabians cheerleader might be a mere footnote in her biography.

“Her life does not revolve solely around athletics and pole vaulting,” Hinton said. “It’s amazing she’s so good.”

And she’s constantly trying to get better.

She said she still wants to clear 14 feet, the height she calculates she’ll need to compete at the collegiate level.

Anchoring the relay and competing in the long jump made her feel more a part of the team at Pendleton Heights, and she’d welcome the chance to do the same at Stanford.

“I’d love to,” she said. “I’d jump on the opportunity if they gave it to me. So we’ll see.”

Then she adds, almost as an afterthought, “But I’m probably not good enough.”

She can be her own harshest critic.

Her nerves were admittedly frazzled while she was defending her state title on June 5 in Bloomington. She didn’t like her first jump at 11-6, and she had a long talk with Potter and her father, Terry.

A loss to arch-rival Margo Tucker of Lawrence Central at the regional a week before cast doubt on the outcome. But McCardwell swallowed her anxiety, made the necessary adjustments and eventually cleared 13-3 to bring home a repeat championship.

The second title was more difficult to win than the first.

She had to overcome illness, injury and the pressure of great expectations.

But in the end, she was left with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

And a healthy dose of perspective.

“Last year kind of went perfectly,” she said of her initial title run. “It makes me realize how incredible it is, some of the feats I’ve accomplished and a lot more things.”