Georgia Tech Invitational

Rain, rain, go away...........

1. Michael Hogue, Tenn. 16-6 3/4*
2. Michael Ayers, Tenn. 16-0 3/4
2. Joseph Berry, Tenn. 16-0 3/4
Brad Holtz, Tenn. No Height

We traveled to Atlanta for the Yellow Jacket invitational and weather conditions were a concern as I was afraid of. Conditions were not bad during warm-ups other than some swirling winds. As the meet progressed it began to drizzle some rain and thunder was moving in. Michael Ayers achieved his first outdoor 16 footer ever and continues to show improvement. While the guys were jumping at 16' 6", the meet meet director called the horn due to lightning and everyone was sent into the basketball arena for cover. After 1.5 hours of waiting, the meet was resumed with a 20 minute warm-up. Now into a steady headwind, Ayers and Berry had 1 attempt at 16' 6" and Hogue had two remaining. Hogue was the only vaulter of 5 to clear the bar after the delay, earning a regional qualifying mark. All and all, I was proud with how the guys handled such difficult conditions. I believe that this experience will make us mentally tougher for upcoming meets.

Freshmen Vaulter and Decathlete claim Freshman All-SEC Honors

From utsports.com:
Three members of the Tennessee men’s track and field team were named to the inaugural SEC All-Freshman Indoor Track and Field team, the conference announced Wednesday.

Joseph Berry led the Tennessee contingent with his second-place finish in the pole vault at the SEC Indoor Championships. The Horsham, Pa., native cleared a personal-best height of 16-10 3/4 and finished behind teammate and four-time SEC champion Michael Hogue to give the Vols a clean sweep of the top-two positions.

Michael Ayers finished third in the heptathlon, behind victorious teammate Jangy Addy, with a personal-best score of 5,286 points to help the Vols claim two of the top-three finishes. Ayers, a Nashville native, moved to 10th on Tennessee’s all-time performance list in the event and earned a personal-best mark in five of the seven events contested.

Baldy Castillo: Spring Break @ Arizona State

Arizona State, Tempe Arizona

Brad Holtz: 5.15m (16' 10.5")

Michael Hogue: 4.80 (15' 9")

As the guys make the transition to the outdoor season, they traveled to Arizona State for spring break. The week was focussed on training but some of the guys vaulted at ASU. Bradley Holtz put together a strong opener clearing an outdoor PR and tying his lifetime best, clearing 5.15 meters. This is easily a regional qualifying mark. He also competed in several other events that day including the 100m and javelin. Hogue struggled a bit from short run but will build momentum after a strong indoor campaign. We will resume competition next week at the Georgia Tech meet so hope for good weather as early spring is always a little shaky.

NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008

RESULTS:

PV: Michael Hogue: 6th place, 5.30m (17' 4.5"); All-American

Heptathlon: Jangy Addy: 14' 7" (4.45m). DOUBLE PR IN POLE VAULT

Just like every year we traveled again to the University of Arkansas. Michael Hogue entered the meet ranked in a tie for 14th place. The field was very bunched up between 17'6" to 18' on the list. We knew going in that it would come down to first attempt clearances. Mike did just that by smoking 5.30 (17' 4.5") on his 1st jump. He then blew through on his first jump at 5.40m. He went up a pole for his 2nd attempt and blew through again. We then raised his grip and move the standards back and he blew through again. Although he felt as though he should have cleared 5.40, it was a good day all and all. His 3rd straight all-american certificate and 3rd consecutive meet scoring points at nationals. He will focus on some base training and technical work as we transition to the outdoor season.

Heptathlete Jangy Addy had a nice day in the hep vault. His prior PR was 14' 2" and he cleared 14'3". After that he got the crowd pumped with the clap and snaked over 14' 7" on his 3rd attempt. He has made steady progress in his pole vaulting which used to be his weakest and most nerve racking event. His hard work has paid off.

LAST CHANCE INDOOR MEET

Virginia Tech University:

Joe Berry: 17 feet, (5.18m)

Ayers: 15' 1"

Hogue: NH

Holtz: NH

Making our 3rd trip down to Tech for a last chance meet. Michael Hogue thought he might need a few more cm to secure his NCAA berth. The other guys just wanted to jump for various reasons. True freshman Joe Berry was the story of the meet for us. He PR'd for the second week in a row clearing 17 feet for the first time in his life. He cleared it quite easily which is a good sign for the rest of the season. I think he even surprised himself a little bit. Then the bar went to 17'5" and Joe had one really nice attempt on his 2nd try. If the standards had been at 50cm, it would have stayed up there. That would have gotten him to the NCAA meet as a freshman. Michael and Brad had off days although

both are running really well and look as strong as ever. Holtz tried

16 foot poles for the first time and looked pretty good on them. Michael Ayers had a tall task with the bar going from 15 to 16 feet right away. He is making a few major technical changes which should lead to consistency at 5m and higher.

SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008

University of Arkansas

Pole vault
1 .Michael Hogue, Tenn.17-6 1/4* SB
2. Joseph Berry, Tenn.16-10 3/4 PR
6-t. Brad Holtz, Tenn.16-4 3/4
14. Michael Ayers, Tenn. 15-11


Hogue posted a season best and NCAA qualifier and won his 4th SEC title. He performed well and upheld his role as a team captain. He secured his 3rd consecutive SEC indoor title and his 4th overall. Freshman Joe Berry stepped up his game at the right time with a first attempt clearance at 5.15m to take 8 huge second place points. Bradley Holtz finished in a tie for 6th place and looks to be ready for some big jumps outdoors. Freshman decathlete Michael Ayers posted a 15'11 on tired legs in the open vault the day after finishing the hepthathlon. The day before he posted 2 huge PR's in the heptathlon vault, jumping 16' 2 (4.94m). Jangy Addy also had a PR in the pole vault, clearing 14' 2" during the heptathlon. He went on win the SEC title. Just before the hep vault, he tied the world record in the heptathlon hurdles. That is crazy.

Welcome to the Tennessee vault blog

Welcome to my little pole vault blog. I thought I would start this blog for anyone interested in following along with the Tennessee vaulters as they go along. I wish I had started this much sooner as the guys have had great success over the last 3 years. I will try to update regularly and provide links to results as appropriate. The indoor season has just ended and we are preparing for the outdoor season. I am looking forward to another great outdoor run.

Tim Mack: An Olympic Odyssey

Old School: LoJo 5.70m, 1995 NCAA champion

This old school jump represents all that is great about Tennessee pole vaulting. 18' 8" into a headwind to win the 1995 NCAA championships. This was held at Tom Black track on UT campus. Lawrence had been hurt that year and was just coming off the injury for a seasonal best.