FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas senior Sandi Morris felt her midsection touch the bar ever so slightly as she went over it on her third and final attempt at the NCAA pole vault record Friday night.
"If you graze the bar, your automatic response is to hit the mat and look up and pray with all your might it doesn't come down," Morris said. "When I realized it didn't fall, my reaction was to scream like a wild banshee."
Morris screamed and jumped and ran around on the landing mat as if it were made out of hot coals after she cleared 15 feet, 1 1/2 inches to set the indoor collegiate record at the Randal Tyson Track Center to cap the Arkansas-Texas dual meet.
It was a display of pure joy after spending a year trying to set the record.
"I had it planned in my mind, 'Oh, I'm going to do this real cool celebration,' " she said. "But you forget everything when you finally make a bar that you've been waiting to do for so long. You're in heaven."
Morris has come back down to earth quickly since her stay atop the college list lasted less than 24 hours.
Stephen F. Austin junior Demi Payne broke Morris' record Saturday afternoon by clearing 15-2 1/4 at the Texas A&M Invitational.
Arkansas Coach Lance Harter said he is looking forward to Morris and Payne meeting in the NCAA meet, adding that records are made to be challenged and broken.
Harter said he didn't believe Payne breaking Morris' record so quickly takes away from the accomplishment.
"Not at all. Sandi still set the record, too," Harter said. "It just reminds you that with the caliber of athletes competing in the NCAA in track and field in every event, there's always somebody out there waiting to try to knock you off."
Morris and Arkansas field events coach Bryan Compton said Friday night they considered having Morris attempt a higher bar after she broke the record but agreed it was best to stop.
"She got so emotional," Compton said. "We just said, 'Hey, let's shut it down and enjoy having the national record.' "
Morris broke the collegiate record of 15-1 set by Texas junior Kaitlin Petrillose last March that won the event at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships. Petrillose competed at Friday night's meet but no-heighted, hugging Morris after the record-breaking vault.
Morris got the record back for Arkansas -- however brief it may have been -- after Petrillose broke the collegiate mark of 14-11 set by former Razorback Tina Sutej at the 2012 SEC Championships.
Sutej is living in her native Slovenia and competing professionally but has spent some time training with the Razorbacks.
"I know Tina pretty well," Morris said Friday night. "I'm sure she's glad another Arkansas girl got the collegiate record and is representing Compton's Crew."
Morris still has the Arkansas record, which had been held by Sutej.
"Tina's always going to be a Razorback," said Compton, who has been at Arkansas since 1998. "I'm sure she's very happy for Sandi."
Morris' best vault prior to Friday was 14-11 last June when she took at second the U.S. Outdoor Championships. Her previous indoor best was 14-9 in winning the SEC title last year.
After Morris had clinched Friday night's victory by clearing 14-7, the bar was moved up to 15-1 1/2. It also was moved up to the record height last week and Morris missed three attempts after she cleared 14-5 in Arkansas' season-opening meet. After winning the event, vaulters can put the bar as high as they want.
"So why not take a shot at the collegiate record?" she said.
Morris, from Greenville, S.C., transferred to Arkansas from North Carolina in the fall of 2012 after he sophomore year. Her personal-best has improved by a foot at Arkansas.
"Things are just finally starting to click," Morris said. "I'm just thankful I redshirted and have a fifth year, because I feel like I'm finally now starting to get it."
Compton said Friday night he expects Morris to keep going up.
"Sandi's so talented," Compton said. "She's got bigger bars ahead of her. We're still running from a short approach. We've got a lot of things to work on and get, so I think she's going to jump higher."
Sports on 01/18/2015