Daily Archives: April 4, 2012

Ulbricht vaults 15-4 prior to district meet

by in News--High School | Permalink

San Antonio, Texas –Jacob Ulbricht had a breakthrough outing this past week.

After being stuck on 14-6 in pole vaulting, the Smithson Valley senior surpassed that mark with a 15-4 clearing.

Later in the day, he overcame his 42.00 time in the 300-meter hurdles with a season-best 41.10.

Ulbricht’s accomplishment didn’t come at a major meet. Instead it happened at a dual meet with New Braunfels, but that didn’t matter.

It was still a potential springboard leading into next week’s District 27-4A Meet.

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First-year athlete breaks nearly three-decade-old school pole vaulting record.

by in News--College | Permalink

Drew EngleFirst-year Drew Engle did not need to wait long to become a key contributor to Messiah College’s track and field program. In his first indoor season with the Falcons, Engle broke two school records.

Engle and his teammate Colin Reisler broke the indoor pole vault record most recently set eight years ago earlier this month by successfully clearing 4.30 meters (14′ 1.25″). The previous record of 14’ 0’’ was set by Scott Vanek in 1984 and again by Rob Poiesz in 2003. On February 24, Engle also broke the heptathlon record, held by Michael Dell, with a score of 4,354 after only completing two heptathlons this season.

The heptathlon consists of the 55 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 meter hurdles, pole vault, and the 1000 meter run held over a two day period.

“It feels awesome to break a record with my teammate Colin,” Engle said. “ I thank God for the opportunities to compete, especially at the Armory in New York City.”

Engle’s teammate, first-year Colin Reisler, said breaking the record with his teammate was really fun.

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Burkett adds to Pole Vault Legacy

by in News--High School | Permalink

Joe Burkett knew for a while the pole vault was going to be his place on the track.

Burkett grew up in the shadows of the Jefferson City High School pit, where his father, Eric, would work during the Capital City Relays. Eric is a former Helias pole vaulter himself, and Joe would tag along to the meets and help catch poles.

The event worked its magic on Joe, a junior at Jefferson City. He began to see progress and started making regular trips to Just Vault in Kansas City. Just Vault is an indoor pole vault facility run by former Baylor All-American Todd Cooper. The instruction of Cooper and Jefferson City track coach Scott Gschwender helped propel Joe to a fourth-place finish at last year’s Class 4 state meet at 15 feet, 3 inches. He quickly followed that with a PR height of 15-9 at the Jr. Olympic regional meet.

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LEROY HOEHNER INVITATIONAL TRACK & FIELD MEET

by in Results | Permalink

(Photo)McCook, Nebraska –Pole Vault — 1. Abi Mohr, McCook, 9-6; 2. Becca Sehnert, McCook, 8-0; 3. Emilea Finley, Colby, 7-0; 4. Katie Rabas, McCook, 6-6. Pole Vault — 1. Kyle Stewart, McCook, 13-6; 2. Tyson Karr, McCook, 13-0; 3. Tyler Freeland, DCS, 11-0; 4. Tyrell Reichert, DCS, 11-0; 5. Kiel Howell, Cambridge, 10-0; 6. Jesse Detty, McCook, 10-0.

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Texas High School Pole Vaulting Through the Years

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Back in 1933…

Earl Meadows of Ft. Worth Central cleared 13-1 1/2 to claim the state title

In 1963…

Tommy Marshall of Yoakum was the first to clear 14-feet. He vaulted 14-1 1/4

In 1965…

Eugene Beene of Abilene Cooper was the first to hit the 15-foot mark with a 15-0 vault

In 1976…

Chris Duhon of Brenham temporarily held the state record with a 15-7 vault, but that same year, Billy Olsen of Abilene vaulted two inches higher at 15-9

In 1977…

Randy Hall of Port Lavaca Calhoun destroyed Olsen’s record with a vault of 16-8

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Arizona Track Rankings –4/4/12

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 Garrett Starkey 12 Basha 16’0 Desert Classic    

Cole Walsh 11 Brophy 15’6 Chandler Rotary 

  Nathan Hiett 11 Basha 15’3 AMDG 

  Scott Marshall 11 Desert Vista 15’0 Aztec Invite 

  Grant Sisseron 11 Horizon 15’0 Rattler Invite 

  Will Hooper 10 Moon Valley 15’0 Glendale Union 

  William Wallace 12 Salpointe 14’6.25 Willie Williams 

  Matt Arseneau 12 Desert Vista 14’6 Aztec Invite 

  Keith Williams 12 Payson 14’6 NPA Skydome Invite 

  Bo Haddock 11 Deer Valley 14’6 Chandler Rotary 

  Adrian Childress 11 Copper Canyon 14’6 Peoria Invte 

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Official AZ DII Qualifying List–4/4/12

by in Arizona, Rankings | Permalink
Included Meets: Rincon Relays, Toro Relays, Ted James, Tolleson Invite, Aztec Invite, Paradise Valley Relays, Desert Classic, Mustang Classic, Trojans Early Qualifier, NPA Skydome, Brophy Prep AMDG, 3/9 Phoenix Christian, Buckeye Lions, Rattler Booster, Gaucho Relays, Willie Williams, 3/16 Page Qualifier, Round Valley Invite, Husky Invite, Bourgade Invite, Maricopa Qualifier, Chandler Rotary, MVHS Sunset, Scottsdale Distance Classic, Bash Co-Ed Relays, Pioneer Invite
Boys Open Pole Vault 4.43m   F William Wallace SALPOINTE 3/15/2012 2012 Willie Williams Classic Seeded  
  4.27m   F Sayre Stewart CANYON DEL ORO 3/15/2012 2012 Willie Williams Classic Seeded  
  14-00.00   F Tyler Cone MOON VALLEY 3/24/2012 2012 Chandler Rotary Seeded  
  13-06.00   F Will Hooper MOON VALLEY 3/24/2012 2012 Chandler Rotary Seeded  Continue reading →

Strawderman entering state track Hall

by in News-USA | Permalink

Mark StrawdermanLegendary pole vaulter Mark Strawderman will be inducted into the Rhode Island Track & Field Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.“It’s obviously special,” Strawderman said. “This is a special group and I’m honored to be chosen.”Strawderman was a superstar for Chariho High in the late 1970s and for URI in the early 1980s. The Rhode Island Track Coaches Association chose him and eight others for induction this year.He will be presented by long-time Chariho track coach Bill Haberek, who previously was inducted and was a young volunteer when Strawderman vaulted for Chariho.“If you ask anyone who knows the history of Chariho sports, they will tell you that Mark was one of the finest athletes to ever wear the green and white. He could have played just about any sport, but fell in love with the pole vault,” Haberek said..“Just several years ago he came to Chariho to help a couple of our vaulters. He picked up his pole and vaulted. He had to be up there around 17 feet. The guys were amazed. So was I.”Strawderman had an amazing three-year career at Chariho and graduated in 1978. Continue reading →

Lian soaring to new heights for Rancho Bernardo High

by in News--High School | Permalink

Rancho Bernardo, California –A high school pole vaulting coach usually needs to make quite a sales pitch to convince kids on campus to give the sport a try.

Even Tom Martin, the longtime coach of the prestigious pole vaulting program at Rancho Bernardo High, rarely gets a kid eager to propel themselves over a bar high above the ground before crashing down on a mat.

But Mimi Lian was different. She is one of the few athletes that needed no convincing to give the high-flying sport a whirl.

“She came to me in the fall of her freshman year,” Martin said of Lian, who competed as a Level 9 gymnast before taking up pole vaulting. “She came up to me on the track and told me about her background and that she was really interested in pole vaulting. I thought, ‘are you kidding me?’ It is the kind of thing you dream about as a coach.”

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Florida Athletes of the Week

by in News-USA | Permalink

Female Rookies of the Week

Lindsey Enders, Cornell (Fr., Melbourne, Fla.)

Erika Veidis, Harvard (Fr., Sparta, N.J.)A two-time Florida state high school champion in the pole vault, Enders didn’t match her career best over the weekend, but she did win the Ithaca Invitational with a clearance of 3.55 meters (11-7 3/4) in cold and damp conditions, a departure from her high school days in the Sunshine State. It wasn’t the first time that Veidis dipped below 2:10 in the 800m run, but the rookie did so early in the season at the North Florida Invitational, one of three runners in a field of 46 to so. Her time of 2:09.83 was behind only Virginia’s Jennifer Fabrizio and Jacksonville’s Joane Pierre.

Male Athletes of the Week

Nico Weiler, Harvard (Jr., Stuttgart, Germany)

Joe Stilin, Princeton (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis.)After claiming the Indoor Heps pole vault title with a meet record back in February, Weiler won the North Florida Invitational in Jacksonville, clearing 5.30 meters (17-4 1/2) with just a single miss. His victory came over athletes from South Carolina, Auburn, Virginia, Florida and Florida State. After running both a sub-four mile and a 7:51 3k indoor (yet, remarkably, unable to qualify for NCAAs), Stilin kept pace in the men’s 5,000-meter run at the Raleigh Relays, running 13:51.17 to finish third behind William Mulherin of Virginia Tech and Soufiane Bouchikhi of Eastern Kentucky. Stilin’s time is currently fourth nationally, barely a second behind Mulherin’s top mark (13:49.95).

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Sarah Haley hopes pole vault lifts her to the nationals

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Sarah HaleyNew York –Sarah Haley has vaulted herself into one of the top track and field performers in Dutchess County.

The Dover High School junior placed 12th in the pole vault at last month’s state indoor championships. One year ago, she emerged on the scene by winning the Section 1 State Qualifier in the pole vault and taking third place at the state Division II meet in the 400 hurdles.

Haley spoke with the Poughkeepsie Journal and had this to share:

What do you do to prepare for the spring track season?

I just run outside. I pretty much run all the time. I also competed in indoor track as well.

Do you have any rituals that you do before meets?

I drink a lot of water, and I always eat pasta. I also listen to music before to get me pumped up, country music being my favorite.

What is your favorite event?

The 400 hurdles and the pole vault are my favorites because I’m pretty good at them and they’re fun.

Speaking of pole vaulting, it seems like it could be a sort of dangerous event. Do you get nervous when participating in it?

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Darnley Sets Pole Vault Record For Trinity At First Women’s Outdoor Track And Field Meet

by in News--College | Permalink

Westfield, Mass.- First-year Megan Darnley (Westborough, Mass.) set a new College record with a fifth-place performance of 9’00.25″ in the pole vault, as the Trinity College Bantams finished 11th in the Jerry Gravel” Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Classic hosted by Westfield State University this afternoon. Trinity, playing in its spring opener, totaled 20 points, while Springfield won the meet with 139.5 points. Darnley shattered the program’s previous mark (7’00.00″) for both indoor and outdoor track by over two feet.

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Doctor takes leap with portable high jump pit

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Dr. David Groen kneels next to an inflatable high jump cushion, called Inflate and Go, that he designed. Groen helps coach track at Iowa Christian Academy and is a podiatrist at The Iowa Clinic.David Groen’s high jumpers lacked the proper equipment to practice on, so he designed a solution that became a business venture and gained national attention.

Groen, a podiatrist with The Iowa Clinic, is a former Iowa State University runner and the track coach at Iowa Christian Academy. That background helped him design Inflate and Go, a portable high jump pit.

I’m coming up with an inflatable pole vault mat as well, which has great demand without it even being made.

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Senior reaches new heights in pole vault

by in News--High School | Permalink

Springfield, Missouri –Senior Cole Phillips has already broken Nixa's school record in the pole vault. Photo by Chris BasnettCole Phillips made a heck of an entrance to the 2012 track season. In the first competition of the year, the Nixa senior broke the school record in the pole vault. The next day, he signed a national letter of intent to compete for the University of Central Missouri track team. “It’s been a good couple days,” Phillips said last week. “We haven’t had a ton of practices, but I got good weather to jump in and jumped well.” Phillips vaulted 15 feet, 10½ inches March 27 at the Nixa Triangular to break his own school record of 15-9.And he wasn’t surprised to do it, even though the season is still young. “That’s kind of what I’ve been shooting for,” Phillips said. “It’s really exciting. I’m happy to reach it and have something to shoot for so early.” Phillips had a strong offseason, competing in several  winter season meets for Vault House Central Continue reading →

Still soaring Lake Forest’s Schwartz ‘doing the athlete thing’ for Israel at Summer Olympics in London

by in News--World | Permalink

Story ImageLake Forest, Illinois –Jillian Schwartz made it sound so simple. The 1997 Lake Forest High School graduate resides in Jonesboro, Ark., these days.“My life pretty much is watching movies, reading books and doing the athlete thing,” the 32-year-old Schwartz said.Millions watch movies and read books.But not too many do what Schwartz does when she’s not sitting in a theater or turning a page.The world’s best pole vaulters will convene in London this summer to vie for gold, silver and bronze prizes. They’ll be called Olympians.Schwartz will be one of them.Eight years ago she represented the United States at the Summer Olympics in Greece.She will soar for Team Israel this summer. “The Israel coaches approached me about competing for their country in 2009,” said Schwartz, a dual citizen who cleared a career-best 15-feet-8 at a Continue reading →