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Saturday, January 6
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Sixth-Annual Akron Pole Vault Convention
Field Set for Sixth Annual Akron Pole Vault Convention
January 04 | Track & Field
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2017 AKRON POLE VAULT CONVENTION | SCHEDULE AND SEEDING | REGISTRATION (STILL OPEN) | WEBSTREAM (SAT) | LIVE STATS
AKRON, Ohio – A talented cast – including Olympians, national and world champions and NCAA national champions – will highlight the list of competitors putting their elite skills on display at the sixth annual Pole Vault Convention, hosted by The University of Akron track and field program this Saturday, Jan. 6, at Stile Athletics Field House.
This year's Akron Pole Vault Convention will also have a track component, as the Zips will open up their 2018 indoor season competing against student-athletes from Ashland University on Sunday, Jan. 7, starting at 3 p.m.
In all, the elite pole vault competition will feature 10 athletes (five men's competitors and five women's competitors) and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 cash only. Akron students are free with ZipCard. Tickets can be purchased inside the Recreation and Wellness Center along the ramp to the Field House. Gates open at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The list of men's competitors include 2016 Olympic finalist, 2015 IAAF World Champion, Canadian record holder, three-time NCAA champion and six-time Akron All-American Shawn Barber.
Akron junior All-American Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio), Chris Pillow, Luke Winder and Chase Brannon, who posted the third-, fifth- seventh- and eighth-best jumps (by mark) by Americans in 2017, will also headline the men's field.
Ludwig, the 2017 NCAA outdoor pole vault champion and two-time 2017 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-America honoree will compete in the elite competition.
Women's competitors include 2012 Olympic champion and 2008 Olympic Silver medalist Jenn Suhr, who is rated No. 15 in the world; NCAA Division II record holder Katie Nageotte, who is ranked 10th in the world; and three-time NCAA champion Kristen Hixson, who is rated No. 26 in the world.
Suhr, the American indoor record holder in the women's pole vault at 16-6, registered the second-ranked mark by an American during the indoor season in 2017, while Nageotte and Hixson eclipsed the third- and fifth-best marks by a United States women's pole vaulter in 2017.
Akron standout sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England), a 2017 first-team USTFCCCA All-America honoree during the indoor campaign as well as former Zip Becky Szabo round out the women's field.
Akron's annual Pole Vault Convention is an all-inclusive pole vault experience for athletes, coaches and parents that features classroom sessions, learn-by-doing clinics, and competitions.
A number of the elite competitors will speak to convention participants at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7. On Saturday, 2016 Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi will conduct a practice session at 5 p.m. prior to the elite competition to allow convention participants an interactive learning opportunity.
Other sessions include; Swing Up Rack and Tailwind City (run by Kelsie Abhe and Vera Schmitz) on Saturday at 1 and 2 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, Industrial Vault Club will have a panel on how to become a state champion.
The three-day convention, which is the vision of Zips' head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell, begins with registration Friday at 5 p.m. Mitchell has coached more than 100 All-American honors during his career, including All-Americans in the pole vault at the University of Texas, University of North Carolina, and University of Akron.
Tailwind City, a company owned by Akron native and 2016 Olympic finalist Kelsie Abhe, will stream the elite competition live via their Instagram account @tailwindcity.
2018 AKRON POLE VAULT CONVENTION PARTICIPANT HIGHLIGHTS
MEN'S COMPETITORS
SHAWN BARBER – CANADA/UNIVERSITY OF AKRON (FORMERLY)
• 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championship Finalist
• 2016 Olympic Finalist
• 2015 IAAF World Outdoor Pole Vault Champion
• 2015 Pan American Games Champion
• 2015 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Pole Vault Champion
• Holds No. 5 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• 2014 NCAA Indoor Pole Vault Champion
• 2012 World Junior Championships Bronze Medalist
• Canadian Pole Vault Record Holder
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.93 (19-5 1/2) [7/25/15]
Indoor – 6.00 (19-8 1/4) [1/15/16]
CHASE BRANNON – USA/TENNESSEE (FORMERLY)
• Two-time USTFCCCA All-American (2012 Indoor/Outdoor)
• Placed eighth at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished 11th at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• 2012 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor pole vault qualifier
• Holds No. 63 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Ranked No. 10 in United States in pole vault (2017)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.57 (18-3 1/4) [8/5/17]
Indoor – 5.55 (18-2 1/2) [3/4/17]
Matt Ludwig – AKRON
• 2017 NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault champion
• Finished third at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships
• Three-time USTFCCCA All-American (2017 Indoor and Outdoor, 2016 Outdoor)
• Captured 2017 Mid-American Conference titles during indoor and outdoor campaigns
• Competed at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Placed 10th at 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championship while competing for Missouri
• Finished third at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship
• Holds No. 43 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Ranked No. 8 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• No. 8 in the U.S. for the indoor pole vault (2015)
• No. 10 in the U.S. for the outdoor pole vault (2015)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.70 (18-8 1/4) [5/6/17]
Indoor – 5.51 (18-1) [2/17/17]
CHRIS PILLOW – USA/RICE (FORMERLY)
• Two-time first-team USTFCCCA All-America honoree at Rice
• Placed seventh at 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships
• Finished seventh at 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Finished third at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed 11th at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Ranked No. 16 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• Holds No. 81 World Ranking in Pole Vault
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.50 (18-0 1/2) [6/11/14 and 3/27/14]
Indoor – 5.65 (18-6 1/2) [3/4/17]
LUKE WINDER – USA/NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE (FORMERLY)
• A six-time DIII national champion at North Central College
• First athlete in Division III history to win six combined pole vault championships indoor and outdoor
• Competed at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Ranked No. 13 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• Holds No. 69 World Ranking in Pole Vault
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.56 (18-2 3/4) [5/17/17]
Indoor – 5.53 (18-1 3/4) [4/28/17]
WOMEN'S COMPETITORS
JENN SUHR – USA
• 2012 Olympic Champion
• Placed second at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championship Semifinalist
• 2016 World Indoor Champion
• 2008 Olympic Silver medalist
• 2013 World Outdoor Championship Silver medalist
• 2008 World Indoor Championship Silver medalist
• American Indoor Women's Pole Vault record holder
• Captured pole vault title at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials
• Finished second at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Holds No. 15 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 3 ranking in the United States (2017)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.92 (16-1 3/4) [6/6/08]
Indoor – 5.03 (16-6) [1/30/16]
KATIE NAGEOTTE – USA/ASHLAND UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY)
• Holds No. 10 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 2 ranking in the United States (2017)
• Placed second at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed seventh at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Finished fifth at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials
• Finished sixth at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished third at 2015 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished fourth at 2015 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Finished ninth at 2014 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Set Division II NCAA pole vault record while at Ashland.
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.73 (15-6 1/4) [7/14/17]
Indoor – 4.72 (15-5 3/4) [8/23/17]
KRISTEN HIXSON – USA/GRAND VALLEY STATE (FORMERLY)
• Holds No. 26 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 6 ranking in the United States (2017)
• Placed eighth at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Placed 11th at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed ninth at 2016 United States Olympic Trials
• Three-time NCAA champion at Grand Valley State (2014 Outdoor and 2012 Indoor and Outdoor)
• Seven-time USTFCCCA All-American
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.65 (15-3) [6/18/16]
Indoor – 4.65 (15-3) [4/28/17 & 3/12/16]
Lucy Bryan – AKRON
• Holds No. 53 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Placed fourth at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships
• 2017 USTFCCCA First-Team All-American (2017 Indoor)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.40 (14-5 1/4) [7/15/17 & 6/29/13]
Indoor – 4.40 (14-5 1/4) [3/11/17]
Becky Szabo – AKRON (FORMERLY)
• Finished second at 2016 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship
• Placed third at 2017 MAC Outdoor Championship
• Finished fourth at 2017 MAC Indoor Championship
• Finished 16th at 2017 NCAA East Preliminary Round
• Finished fifth at 2016 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship
• Finished 20th at 2016 NCAA East Preliminary Round
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.15 (13-7 1/4) [3/28/15]
Indoor – 4.15 (13-7 1/4) [2/27/16]
2017 AKRON POLE VAULT CONVENTION | SCHEDULE AND SEEDING | REGISTRATION (STILL OPEN) | WEBSTREAM (SAT) | LIVE STATS
AKRON, Ohio – A talented cast – including Olympians, national and world champions and NCAA national champions – will highlight the list of competitors putting their elite skills on display at the sixth annual Pole Vault Convention, hosted by The University of Akron track and field program this Saturday, Jan. 6, at Stile Athletics Field House.
This year's Akron Pole Vault Convention will also have a track component, as the Zips will open up their 2018 indoor season competing against student-athletes from Ashland University on Sunday, Jan. 7, starting at 3 p.m.
In all, the elite pole vault competition will feature 10 athletes (five men's competitors and five women's competitors) and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 cash only. Akron students are free with ZipCard. Tickets can be purchased inside the Recreation and Wellness Center along the ramp to the Field House. Gates open at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The list of men's competitors include 2016 Olympic finalist, 2015 IAAF World Champion, Canadian record holder, three-time NCAA champion and six-time Akron All-American Shawn Barber.
Akron junior All-American Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio), Chris Pillow, Luke Winder and Chase Brannon, who posted the third-, fifth- seventh- and eighth-best jumps (by mark) by Americans in 2017, will also headline the men's field.
Ludwig, the 2017 NCAA outdoor pole vault champion and two-time 2017 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-America honoree will compete in the elite competition.
Women's competitors include 2012 Olympic champion and 2008 Olympic Silver medalist Jenn Suhr, who is rated No. 15 in the world; NCAA Division II record holder Katie Nageotte, who is ranked 10th in the world; and three-time NCAA champion Kristen Hixson, who is rated No. 26 in the world.
Suhr, the American indoor record holder in the women's pole vault at 16-6, registered the second-ranked mark by an American during the indoor season in 2017, while Nageotte and Hixson eclipsed the third- and fifth-best marks by a United States women's pole vaulter in 2017.
Akron standout sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England), a 2017 first-team USTFCCCA All-America honoree during the indoor campaign as well as former Zip Becky Szabo round out the women's field.
Akron's annual Pole Vault Convention is an all-inclusive pole vault experience for athletes, coaches and parents that features classroom sessions, learn-by-doing clinics, and competitions.
A number of the elite competitors will speak to convention participants at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7. On Saturday, 2016 Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi will conduct a practice session at 5 p.m. prior to the elite competition to allow convention participants an interactive learning opportunity.
Other sessions include; Swing Up Rack and Tailwind City (run by Kelsie Abhe and Vera Schmitz) on Saturday at 1 and 2 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, Industrial Vault Club will have a panel on how to become a state champion.
The three-day convention, which is the vision of Zips' head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell, begins with registration Friday at 5 p.m. Mitchell has coached more than 100 All-American honors during his career, including All-Americans in the pole vault at the University of Texas, University of North Carolina, and University of Akron.
Tailwind City, a company owned by Akron native and 2016 Olympic finalist Kelsie Abhe, will stream the elite competition live via their Instagram account @tailwindcity.
2018 AKRON POLE VAULT CONVENTION PARTICIPANT HIGHLIGHTS
MEN'S COMPETITORS
SHAWN BARBER – CANADA/UNIVERSITY OF AKRON (FORMERLY)
• 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championship Finalist
• 2016 Olympic Finalist
• 2015 IAAF World Outdoor Pole Vault Champion
• 2015 Pan American Games Champion
• 2015 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Pole Vault Champion
• Holds No. 5 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• 2014 NCAA Indoor Pole Vault Champion
• 2012 World Junior Championships Bronze Medalist
• Canadian Pole Vault Record Holder
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.93 (19-5 1/2) [7/25/15]
Indoor – 6.00 (19-8 1/4) [1/15/16]
CHASE BRANNON – USA/TENNESSEE (FORMERLY)
• Two-time USTFCCCA All-American (2012 Indoor/Outdoor)
• Placed eighth at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished 11th at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• 2012 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor pole vault qualifier
• Holds No. 63 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Ranked No. 10 in United States in pole vault (2017)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.57 (18-3 1/4) [8/5/17]
Indoor – 5.55 (18-2 1/2) [3/4/17]
Matt Ludwig – AKRON
• 2017 NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault champion
• Finished third at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships
• Three-time USTFCCCA All-American (2017 Indoor and Outdoor, 2016 Outdoor)
• Captured 2017 Mid-American Conference titles during indoor and outdoor campaigns
• Competed at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Placed 10th at 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championship while competing for Missouri
• Finished third at Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championship
• Holds No. 43 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Ranked No. 8 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• No. 8 in the U.S. for the indoor pole vault (2015)
• No. 10 in the U.S. for the outdoor pole vault (2015)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.70 (18-8 1/4) [5/6/17]
Indoor – 5.51 (18-1) [2/17/17]
CHRIS PILLOW – USA/RICE (FORMERLY)
• Two-time first-team USTFCCCA All-America honoree at Rice
• Placed seventh at 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships
• Finished seventh at 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Finished third at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed 11th at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Ranked No. 16 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• Holds No. 81 World Ranking in Pole Vault
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.50 (18-0 1/2) [6/11/14 and 3/27/14]
Indoor – 5.65 (18-6 1/2) [3/4/17]
LUKE WINDER – USA/NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE (FORMERLY)
• A six-time DIII national champion at North Central College
• First athlete in Division III history to win six combined pole vault championships indoor and outdoor
• Competed at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Ranked No. 13 in United States in pole vault (2017)
• Holds No. 69 World Ranking in Pole Vault
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 5.56 (18-2 3/4) [5/17/17]
Indoor – 5.53 (18-1 3/4) [4/28/17]
WOMEN'S COMPETITORS
JENN SUHR – USA
• 2012 Olympic Champion
• Placed second at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championship Semifinalist
• 2016 World Indoor Champion
• 2008 Olympic Silver medalist
• 2013 World Outdoor Championship Silver medalist
• 2008 World Indoor Championship Silver medalist
• American Indoor Women's Pole Vault record holder
• Captured pole vault title at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials
• Finished second at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Holds No. 15 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 3 ranking in the United States (2017)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.92 (16-1 3/4) [6/6/08]
Indoor – 5.03 (16-6) [1/30/16]
KATIE NAGEOTTE – USA/ASHLAND UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY)
• Holds No. 10 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 2 ranking in the United States (2017)
• Placed second at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed seventh at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Finished fifth at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials
• Finished sixth at 2016 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished third at 2015 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Finished fourth at 2015 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Finished ninth at 2014 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Set Division II NCAA pole vault record while at Ashland.
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.73 (15-6 1/4) [7/14/17]
Indoor – 4.72 (15-5 3/4) [8/23/17]
KRISTEN HIXSON – USA/GRAND VALLEY STATE (FORMERLY)
• Holds No. 26 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Holds No. 6 ranking in the United States (2017)
• Placed eighth at the 2017 USATF National Outdoor Championships
• Placed 11th at the 2017 USATF National Indoor Championships
• Placed ninth at 2016 United States Olympic Trials
• Three-time NCAA champion at Grand Valley State (2014 Outdoor and 2012 Indoor and Outdoor)
• Seven-time USTFCCCA All-American
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.65 (15-3) [6/18/16]
Indoor – 4.65 (15-3) [4/28/17 & 3/12/16]
Lucy Bryan – AKRON
• Holds No. 53 World Ranking in Pole Vault
• Placed fourth at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships
• 2017 USTFCCCA First-Team All-American (2017 Indoor)
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.40 (14-5 1/4) [7/15/17 & 6/29/13]
Indoor – 4.40 (14-5 1/4) [3/11/17]
Becky Szabo – AKRON (FORMERLY)
• Finished second at 2016 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championship
• Placed third at 2017 MAC Outdoor Championship
• Finished fourth at 2017 MAC Indoor Championship
• Finished 16th at 2017 NCAA East Preliminary Round
• Finished fifth at 2016 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship
• Finished 20th at 2016 NCAA East Preliminary Round
Career-Best Marks
Outdoor – 4.15 (13-7 1/4) [3/28/15]
Indoor – 4.15 (13-7 1/4) [2/27/16]
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
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