Kansas sophomore Samantha Van Hoecke qualified for her first career NCAA Outdoor Championships on the second day of the NCAA West Preliminary on Thursday, clearing a personal best 4.27m (14-0 ft.) in the women’s pole vault.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas junior Alexandra Emilianov broke the KU school record in the shot put, while the Jayhawks placed sixth individuals on the podium and advanced five to finals on day two of the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in Manhattan, Kansas on Saturday.
Among the Jayhawks making the podium were Emilianov (shot put), Toni Englund (heptathlon), Patrick Larrison (shot put), George Evans (shot put), Samantha Van Hoecke (pole vault) and Riley Cooney (3,000 meter steeplechase).
Emilianov’s school record is the second in as many competitions for her in the shot put, after initially setting the school record of 16.87m (55-2.25 ft.) at the Rock Chalk Classic on May 1. On Saturday, Emilianov broke her record on two different throws, with her biggest throw of 17.25m (56-7.25 ft.), placing her third overall.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four Jayhawks earned NCAA All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday, including junior Samantha Van Hoecke’s First Team honors in the women’s pole vault.
Competing in her first NCAA Championships, Van Hoecke placed seventh overall by clearing a personal best 4.36m (14-3.5 ft.), tying the sixth best performance in KU indoor history. Van Hoecke also became the first KU All-American in the women’s pole vault indoors since Laura Taylor in 2018.
Despite opening her day with a miss at the opening height of 4.16m (13-7.75 ft.), Van Hoecke bounced back and cleared on her second attempt. She would miss on her first two attempts at 4.26m (13-11.75 ft.), before making it over the bar on her final attempt.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas men’s and women’s track and field teams are set to compete at the 2021 NCAA Indoor track & field championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, which take place March 11-14.
Among the Jayhawks that qualified are Alexandra Emilianov (shot put), Honour Finley (400 meters), Samantha Van Hoecke (pole vault), Rylee Anderson (high jump) and Zach Bradford (pole vault).
Entering the NCAA Indoor Championships, Bradford ranks as the No. 3 individual in the men’s pole vault, clearing a season best 5.75m (18-10.25 ft.) at the Texas Tech Invitational on January 29. Throughout the season, Bradford has set numerous meet records while owning eight of the top 10 jumps in KU indoor history.
The NCAA Division I men’s and women’s track & field and cross-country committee announced the 2021 NCAA Indoor track & field championship participants on Tuesday, including five Jayhawks who will compete in the meet from March 11-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.