Pole vaulter Jenkins cashes in the last meet
Junior Maurice Jenkins met the qualifying standard for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault at the Last Chance Meet Saturday in Pocatello, Idaho.
He is the third Aggie to qualify for the national meet this season. Senior James Parker qualified in the shot put and weight throw and senior Danielle Kot in the 200 meters earlier in the season.
The first-place finishers in the Last Chance Meet were Brick Bergeson in the 800 meter with 1:52:17 and Parker in the shot put and weight throw with marks of 18.15 meters and 20.43 meters, respectively.
Other top finishers on the men’s team were Maurice Jenkins, who placed second in the pole vault, and Tim Sparks, who placed third in the shot put.
On the women’s side, Jessica Drake-Owen placed third in the weight throw and Candice Workman took third in the shot put.
Head coach Gregg Gensel said he was pleased with the athletes’ performance in the meet.
“Everybody put forth their best effort,” he said. “We had a few get season bests, and some met or set [personal records].”
Gensel said generally three people from the team qualify for nationals. Today the NCAA will announce who will compete in the national championships March 9-10 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Only 254 athletes in the nation can go to the meet. If more have met the standard, some who have qualified will not compete.
But if fewer than 254 have met the standard, which is usually the case, some who have not met the standard will be able to compete in the meet.
The Last Chance Meet was the last meet of the indoor season for the Aggies, except for those who will compete in the national meet.
“The meet ended the season on a good note,” Gensel said, “and it gave us a good start for the outdoor season.”