January 23, 2021 | General
CIU dominates in Men's and Women's Pole Vault at Samford Open
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.: After two months without competing, CIU indoor track and field made their way back to a meet Saturday as both the men's and women's teams competed in the Samford Open. The meet was held at the Birmingham Crossplex, one of the premier indoor track facilities in the southern United States. The Crossplex has hosted the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships across all three NCAA divisions as well as other major events. The facility also gave the Rams a sense of familiarity as the Crossplex boasts a Mondotrack surface, the same such surface as CIU's home facility.
The Samford Open hosted teams across the NCAA and the NAIA as CIU competed against schools from throughout the southeast. CIU was dominant as usual in both the men's and women's pole vault as Ashleigh Harding took home first place on the women's side and sophomore John Hunter James seized the top spot for the men. Harding had a mark of 3.25m while not quite her PR, the performance was still impressive for the Lexington native who is already an NAIA national qualifier in the event. John Hunter James finished with a mark of 4.85m in his first meet since he became the NAIA National Champion in men's pole vault as a freshman. James' performance was good enough to give him the highest mark in the NAIA so far this indoor season.
Ashleigh Harding took home first place in the women's pole vault
The Rams also found some success in other events on Saturday. Meghann Miller had her personal best time in the women's 60 meter dash as the local product had a time of 8.48 in the event. Anaya Canty and Kate Barbee both finished in the top ten in the women's weighted throw. Canty broke her personal record throwing a distance of 12.99 meters in the first flight, while Barbee threw her personal best in the finals with a length of 11.96 meters.
Anaya Canty represented CIU well in the women's weighted throw
CIU Head Track and Field Coach Jud Brooker spoke on his team's performance, saying, "This meet was a learning experience for all our athletes. It is tough to have success at an indoor meet after not competing in an indoor facility in almost a year. I was very encouraged with how many of our athletes were determined to be successful even when things didn't necessarily go their way."
The Rams will be back in competition next weekend as they travel to Roanoke, Va, for a meet on January 30th.
