Baldwin Matches NCAA Best in Pole Vault

DES MOINES, Iowa ? Gabe Baldwin capped an outstanding day for the Nebraska men’s and women’s track and field teams with a win in the men’s pole vault competition at the Drake Relays Friday afternoon. His career-best vault of 18-2 1/2 equaled teammate Ray Scotten’s NCAA-leading mark set earlier this season at the John Jacobs Invitational.

 

After missing the bar once at 16-6 3/4, Baldwin notched six straight successful attempts before bowing out at 18-6 1/2. The Grand Island, Neb., native tied Scotten as the No. 2 performer on NU’s all-time outdoor charts. Scotten finished as the runner-up competitor to Baldwin with a vault of 17-10 1/2.

 

"Everyone's been telling me I'm due for a PR," Baldwin said. "I've been jumping well, just not at a high bar.

 

"It's nice to have (Scotten) there, being supportive, us jumping together and having a competitive rivalry, because he beats me all the time. So it's nice to actually get ahead of him one time."

 

Christi Lehman made it a clean Husker sweep of the pole vault by winning the women’s University/College section with a height of 12-11 1/2. Lehman declined to continue after reaching the height and will participate in the women’s special Invitational section on Saturday.

 

"It wasn't one of my better days jumping, but it's a fast runway and it's nice competing here because the crowds are large and it's a cool atmosphere," Lehman said. "I was just happy to get a win today."

 

Kayla Wilkinson improved on her personal best in the women’s javelin by claiming second place with a throw of 174-4. The mark’s metric measurement of 53.13 was one centimeter further than her previous mark of 53.12, which also converts empirically to 174-4. Wilkinson, who ranks No. 6 in the NCAA in the javelin, lost out only to No. 1 Dana Pounds of the Air Force Academy.

 

Also earning runner-up honors Friday was Dace Ruskule in the women’s discus. Ruskule recorded a mark of 179-3, which was merely six inches less than her season best. Teammates Laura Wortmann (160-11) and Amber Curtis (160-0) joined Ruskule in the finals and finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

 

Danute Ceika, who claimed fourth in the women’s 800-meter run, was the lone Husker to compete in an individual running event Friday. Ceika’s time of 2:09.23 was a season-low clocking. Nebraska’s distance medley relay team of Anne Shadle, Ashley Selig, Sara Jane Baker and Kim Pancoast also competed and earned 11th in 11:46.13.

 

NU also had a select group of athletes competing Friday at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa.

 

The men’s 4x110-meter shuttle hurdle relay team of Richard Davidson Jr., Courtney Jones, Nenad Loncar and Aaron Ross smashed the previous school-record time of 56.14 set at last year’s Drake Relays by the same group. Friday’s clocking of 55.12 earned the squad second place behind Tennessee (54.97) and also broke Texas A&M’s 1982 Big 12 record of 55.80.

 

Individually, Davidson Jr., Jones and Loncar each reached Saturday’s Championship section of the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Jones (14.00) and Loncar (14.01) went 2-3 in the first of three preliminary heats, while Davidson Jr. (14.02) finished third in the second heat.

 

Also advancing to Saturday’s finals was Priscilla Lopes, who recorded the fastest time during three preliminary heats of the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.01. The Nebraska men’s 4x100- (40.77) and 4x400-meter (3:11.57) relays also qualified for Saturday’s finals in the University/College sections by finishing 10th and 11th, respectively.

 

In Nebraska’s lone finals event of the day, Andy Nelson earned 12th place during the Championship section of the men’s 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.73, while Mark Harrison finished 16th.

 

Of those athletes who remained in Lincoln for the weekend, several elected to participate in the Nebraska Wesleyan Twilight Meet. The Huskers claimed 5 event titles.

 

NU winners included Korey Hardiway (12.20) in the women's 100 meters, Tim Williams (1:53.20) in the men's 800 meters, Patrick Southern in the men's pole vault (15-2), Tom Donlin (183-3) in the men's hammer throw and Jesse Colburn (192-11) in the men's javelin.

 

The Huskers continue competition at both the Drake and Penn Relays on Saturday. The women’s high jump begin NU’s day at Drake at 10 a.m., while action at Penn begins with the men’s high jump at 12:30 p.m. Central time.