April 09, 2021 | Men's Track & Field
John Hunter James solidifies place in NAIA history with record smashing jump at Hub City Invite
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The CIU men's track and field team took part in the Hub City Invite hosted by Newberry College at Spartanburg High School. The meet will be notable in CIU Athletics history because of a record-breaking performance from sophomore pole vaulter
John Hunter James.
James vaulted a height of 5.40m (17' 8.5") for the third-highest height in NAIA men's pole vault history. For reference, the last time an NAIA Athlete surpassed 5.40 meters at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships was in 1982 when Olympian Billy Olson cleared a mark of 5.56 meters. James's vault is the highest in the NAIA this season and the 15th highest this season in all of college outdoor track, including NCAA Division 1.
Blake Rimmer was solid in the pole vault for CIU as well, with a personal best height of 4.55m getting ever closer to the NAIA qualifying mark.
Elsewhere at the meet, the Rams had two NCCAA qualifiers on the track as both
Tavarres Berrian and
Ethan Robinson qualified in their respective events. Berrian qualified in the 800m with a time of 1:58.18 while coming in fourth overall in the event. Robinson qualified in the 200m with a time of 22.42.
Head coach
Jud Brooker spoke on his team saying, "What a day!
John Hunter James rewrote the record books while Ethan and Tavarress killed it on the track. I thought Blake had an excellent performance in his own right, and it was overall a fantastic meet!"
