Vaulters, relay team shine at State Indoor
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
FAYETTEVILLE — Jason Pelletier cleared a personal-best height of 16 feet, 2 inches to claim his second straight championship in the pole vault. After winning the event at the Class 7A State outdoor meet last year, he earned the title at the 5A-6A-7A State Indoor championship meet at the Tyson Track Center at the University of Arkansas on Saturday, Feb. 23.
Pelletier, who has signed to join the track team at Penn State next year, and fellow vaulter Ben Griffin, along with the 3200 meter relay team, provided all 17 of the Hornets’ points in the massive meet. Rogers and Fayetteville claimed the top two team finishes at the meet.
Pelletier and former teammate Spencer McCorkel (now competing — and scoring — for the University of Arkansas) have combined to win the last five State pole vault championships.
Griffin tied his personal record by clearing 13-6 at the meet, earning a fourth-place finish.
Ben Higgs, Cody Fiser, Todd McAdoo and Joey Fuoco teamed up in the 3200, running an 8:43 to earn a seventh place finish.
“Jason and Ben did a wonderful job,” stated Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Jason was very close to clearing 16-6.5 so I know it’s just a matter of time before he gets up into the mid-16-foot range. He is looking very good going into the Nike Indoor Meet in Maryland in a couple of weeks.
“And I can’t say enough about Ben,” Oury added. “He has worked very hard and it was great to see him have success at a State meet.
The Hornets will begin the outdoor season by hosting the annual Bryant Relays on Tuesday, March 18.
“Even though we only scored in two events, we had several performances that are very encouraging for the outdoor season,” Oury noted, “including Daniel Hall in the 400 meters.”
Hall finished 10th in a time of 52.44.
“In a meet as big as this one, points are hard to come by, so good performances don’t always get rewarded,” Oury noted. “But I think that we are going in the right direction for the outdoor season.”
