TRACK AND FIELD : Stripling clears UA record in pole vault

BY MARTY COOK

Posted on Saturday, May 3, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/224582/

FAYETTEVILLE — Katie Stripling was just waiting for a nice day.

Good weather made for an Arkansas school record for the Jonesboro sophomore, who finished second in the pole vault at the Arkansas Twilight meet Friday at John McDonnell Field. Stripling cleared 14 feet, 2 inches and improve her regional qualifying mark for NCAA regionals. Stripling had not vaulted well this year outdoors as she struggled with the transition from indoors and a spate of bad weather at meets. Her previous season

1 best was 13-4 / 2, which she set in early April.

“It feels awesome,” Stripling said. “I didn’t know it was a school record until I cleared it. Everything went good. I gave it a chance, and it worked out for me.”

Arkansas Coach Lance Harter said he never lost faith in his vaulters, especially Stripling. A week ago at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, the vaulters had struggled with a stiff wind in their face, which negated any real chance for stellar vaults.

“That was sweet,” Harter said of Stripling’s 14-2. “We were totally stymied at Drake. It’s nice to have a quality evening.

“ It has been a battle for all of them. It’s nice to see them putting it all together as we approach championship season.”

Stripling said the clearance is a big confidence boost with the SEC Championships in May at Auburn. Stripling leads a contingent of five Lady Razorbacks vaulters who have regionally qualified and hope to score a bundle of team points at SEC.

“It gives me a lot of confidence going into SEC because I haven’t been jumping too good,” Stripling said. “I decided I was going to have fun [Friday ], and that’s what I did. It gives me confidence to jump high. It helps knowing I can actually jump high compared to what I was doing.”

Arkansas senior Paige Farrell had a breakthrough in the 800-meter run. Farrell, of Springdale, has had few memorable moments the past few seasons but she ran 2 minutes, 5. 53 seconds.

The time is the 10 th-best in the country and a season best by nearly three seconds.

“It’s about time to start going, right ?” Farrell said, jokingly. “It has been a long time coming. It’s all coming together.”

Harter was impressed with Farrell during training this week and told assistant Lonnie Greene that he expected a good performance from Farrell.

“You could see it in workouts,” Harter said. “She’s really starting to come around. Now, all she has to do is get consistent and get another breakthrough.”

The Razorbacks had several athletes post regional qualifying times, but only freshman Duncan Phillips improved a previous time. Phillips, who had been slowed by a groin injury, ran 1: 49. 65 in the 800, beating the qualifying cutoff of 1: 50. 40.

Phillips has already qualified in the 1, 500. Phillips gave the Razorbacks 17 qualifiers for regionals.

“I was happy with it,” Arkansas Coach John McDonnell said. “He was happy, too, and that’s the important thing.

“ We have two weeks before conference and then two weeks for regionals. There’s a sequence there where you have to get regional qualifiers before conference because, in conference, you’re trying to win instead of run fast.”