Looks can be deceiving, and pole vault coach Anthony Curran
knows this fact all too well after this weekend.
Curran thought freshman Chelsea Johnson made a
national-qualifying vault of 13-feet-5-inches, but in reality it
was only 12-11.5. In just her first collegiate meet, this
weekend’s Reno Pole Vault Summit, Johnson had to learn the
hard way.
“Sometimes you think they cleared one height, but you find
out later the results post something different,” Curran
said.
The posted height of 12-11.5 put freshman phenom Johnson in
fifth place overall, while Johnson’s teammates, freshman
Jamie Kolar and sophomore Gail Larsen, tied for third at 12-9.50 in
section two. Also, junior Karen Bewley finished first in section
three with a vault of 12-6. Â
“It was an awesome first day,” Curran said.
“We had some standout girls who had a great
performance.”
The men’s team also fared well. Juniors Yoo Kim and
Patrick Luke both returned after redshirting last season. Each
vaulted 16-2.75, which put them in fifth and sixth place
respectively in the men’s section two. Senior Jared Drake
no-heighted.
With the beginning of the indoor track and field season still
weeks away, this weekend’s summit was looked at as a gauge
for what to expect this spring. Despite the confusion over
Johnson’s vault, the coaching staff was pleased.
“There is a good possibility that we can send three women
and possibly four men to the NCAAs,” Curran said. “That
is pretty great considering most (teams) only send one or maybe
two.”
“This has been one of the strongest years I can remember
in the pole vault,” he continued. “Especially in the
Pac-10, there is the majority of the nation’s top vaulters.
But the more I look at the team, the more I am impressed. They are
extremely young, yet extremely talented. I don’t foresee any
problems this season with them.”
The indoor track season will commence Saturday, Feb. 1, at the
Washington Invitational in Seattle.