NAMPA, Idaho – Not many kids grow up with pole vault pits in their backyard.

Then again, not many kids have the lineage that Payton Lewis does.

The Northwest Nazarene University senior has pole vaulting in his blood. His grandfather Ray started the track and field program at Boise Junior College in the 1950s. His uncle Mauri is a long time high school pole vault coach in the Treasure Valley. His dad Kasey was the pole vault coach at Boise State for two years and won a gold medal in the event at the 1982 Junior Pan American Games.

So the fact that Lewis, who won the NCAA Division II outdoor track and field national championship in the event last year, will compete in his fourth indoor national championship at 3 p.m. MST on Saturday isn't necessarily a surprise.

The path that led him to this point, though, was a bit of a winding one.

"I wasn't going to do it," Lewis said of the event. "I was just thinking football, football, football. I grew up with the pit in my backyard, but I didn't take it seriously. I just played around on it. Now it is my favorite sport."

Lewis was a husky kid growing up, not exactly the build of a vaulter. Even today he doesn't have the prototypical build of a vaulter. Most are in the 165- 180-pound range, while he weighs in around 200 pounds.

"He was a chubby little kid, and I didn't think he'd ever be interested in pole vault," his dad said. "But I never had to motivate him. He was always outside, either on the trampoline or in the pool or on the pole vault. I didn't coach him — I just let him have fun."

Lewis considered pursuing football after high school, but because of concussions chose to participate in track and field instead. He initially committed to Boise State, but an abrupt coaching change left him with no school to attend. When NNU called, he decided it was a good fit for him.

"I felt so much pressure just finding a college where I wanted to go that I was getting down on myself," he said. "When my dad said, 'What about NNU?' A weight lifted. I felt like God led me here for a purpose."

This will be his seventh trip to nationals in his collegiate career. He has never finished higher than third at the indoor meet and with the way his season has gone, no one knows what to expect Saturday.

Lewis has only competed twice because of a shoulder injury – once on January 12 while clearing the provisional mark to qualify for nationals and once at the GNAC championships on Feb. 17 where he cleared just one height and finished second to teammate Jared Webster.

"I think this is good for him," Webster said. "He has so many people looking at him to do so well and with this meet he isn't almost supposed to be there. I think with the spotlight off of him … he will do better."

Lewis comes in ranked 17th out of 18 vaulters and with his shoulder injury, anything could happen.

While the injury has been hard to deal with, Lewis has made strides in other areas.

"He is used to being at the top of the ladder and now he is at the bottom of the ladder," his dad said. "It was tough for him. But we've really spiritually bonded even more so this year and trusted in God's timing and not so much is own abilities.

"I think spiritually, it has helped him mature and to rely on God. Sports is just an avenue for him that will open up other doors. This (injury) is happening for a reason and when he gets through it, he will be better off."

Lewis is just the second Nighthawks athlete to win an individual title after Ashley Puga won the 800 meters in both the indoor and outdoor national championships in 2009. He cleared 17 feet, 7 inches at the outdoor meet last spring.

"Anything is possible," Lewis said. "I'm a super underdog. People know I'm hurt and they are not going to expect me to perform as well, but God is good and He can do big things.

"We'll have to see what happens. God put me in there for a reason. I shouldn't be going at all, but something is in store that is bigger than I."