Greg Yeldell is in a bind.If he has to make a choice, he doesn’t know what the answer would be.

“Choosing between track and football: Man, that’s a hard decision.I love both the sports. I couldn’t pick right now,” said the two-sport, three-season Indiana University athlete.

The 19-year-old sophomore has been an impact player his first two football seasons, and now he’s in position to be a national champion in his favorite track and field event, the triple jump.

“I love everything I do. If I can continue doing everything I do, I’m hoping God just blesses me and keeps on having me make good plays and making good jumps, and staying healthy,” said the East Spencer native and former North Rowan High School 10-time track and field All-American.

Yeldell closes out his sophomore track season today at Duke University, where he’s the No. 1 seed in the triple jump in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Yeldell earned that No. 1 seed for today’s 5:30 p.m. competition with a conference and personal record triple jump of 55 feet, 2 inches while winning in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships two weeks ago at West Lafayette, Ind.

It’s the first time Yeldell has topped his personal best of 53-11 1/4, the nation’s best high school jump of 1998, the year he was selected Track & Field News national track and field athlete of the year. He had that outstanding jump while capturing the bronze medal in the International Amateur Athletic Federation World Junior Championships at Annecy, France, in August, 1998.

The new PR, which moved him up from about 17th place to No. 1 in the collegiate rankings, has inspired Yeldell for the NCAA meet.

“It feels read good. I’m at home. I’m hoping the crowd will be on my side. It’s very exciting. I’m back in North Carolina feeling great. I miss the trees and the good air. When I come home, basically I feel relaxed. I know all I’ve got to do is do my best, and my best hopefully will win,” said Yeldell.

After the NCAA meet, he’ll start preparing for the Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif., in July, and he has a dream of making the United States Olympic Team before his 20th birthday on Oct. 14.

“It’s been a dream for a long time. When I was a little kid, it was like, ‘Man, I want to be the youngest guy in the Olympics. I’m 19 right now. I just hope everything works out like my dream. If I don’t make it this year, I know one day I’m going to make it. I feel like if I keep on doing what I have to do, I should be there,” Yeldell said.

If he makes it to the Olympics, he would be the first from Rowan County.

“I really want to be that real bad. I just want to overcome all kinds of adversity from my whole life,” he exclaimed.

Yeldell competes in football in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. He received a full football scholarship from the Hoosiers with the understanding that he would also be able to compete in track.

Yeldell wasted no time making his mark in college football. His three interceptions against Michigan in 1998 tied the NCAA freshman record for interceptions in one game.He started three times as a freshman and was chosen Indiana’s special teams MVP.

Then, as a sophomore, he started all 11 games at strong safety for the Hoosiers. There’s already talk around IU that he could go high in the National FootballLeague draft after his junior season.

“I don’t really know about that,” he said. “I need to get a little bit better with my tackling and learn the game a little bit more. I’ve learned the game a lot since I left high school. ... I learned a lot starting all 11 games last year. It was basically my learning year. My freshman year, it was just coming in and really not having to worry about, just go out there and play. I didn’t have so much pressure on me.”

Yeldell admits he would like to go high in the NFL draft, but says, “I want to stay in school, basically. I’ve been told that (I could be drafted high). I really want to get my degree, then get drafted. I want to get my education first.”

But then he hedges a little.

“It all depends on how things go, thought. If it sounds good, I’ll probably go. Something I just can’t resist, that would be the only reason I would leave,” he exclaimed.

How about the possibility of being chosen in the first round of the NFL draft?

“I hope I can.I think I can. ... If I stay my next two years, I think it’s possible,” he responded.

If he’s drafted, would that mean the end of his track career?

“What I would like to do, I would like to keep on doing both. If I couldn’t do both, I’d have to make that decision. I’m just glad it’s now now,” said Yeldell.

With dreams of going to the Olympics or playing pro football, Yeldell is appreciative of the coaches he had in those sports at North Rowan, Robert Steele and Roger Secreast.

“They’ve played a positive role.They believed in me when everybody didn’t believe in me. There were there to encourage me, especially coach Steele,” said Yeldell. “He believed in me from day one. He never gave up on me. I’d like to thank him for that. He’s a great coach. You don’t get too many coaches that you make that kind of relationship with.

“Coach Secreast:He was there for me. He helped me learn the game a little bit better whenI was in high school. He pushed me to do my best. I think he’s a great coach, and I hope he keeps on coaching.”

He misses his coaches, his former teammates and friends, and his high school.

“It’s just way different when you come from North Rowan and go to Indiana. There were a couple of changes I had to make socially and educationally. I’ve had to work a little bit harder,” he said.

“I really do miss North Rowan. I did so well there. I really miss those good ol’ days — all those guys you grew up with from kindergarten, relaxing and coming home on the bus after a win in a football game, just some of the most memorable moments in your life. Right now, I can say I really love North Rowan well,” he added.

The son of Mrs. Linda Yeldell Foster of Spencer, Greg hopes to earn his degree and return to East Spencer to help local youth.

“I want to give something back to my community,” he said.