Alabama’s Lakan Taylor Wins Pole Vault at NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
3/11/2017 6:24:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Tide senior set school record to become first women’s pole vault champion in Alabama history
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Alabama's Lakan Taylor won the NCAA women's pole vault championship on the final day of the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Texas A&M University's Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
The senior cleared a school-record height of 14-7 1/4 (4.45m) to defeat 15 other competitors and earn Alabama's first national championship – indoors or outdoors – in the women's pole vault.
"When I cleared the second height (14-7 1/4) on the first attempt, it just felt really great," Taylor said. "I just had to trust in my jump and trust in my coach. Michael Bartolina an outstanding coach and I wouldn't be here without him or all the coaches I've had before. They got me to this moment. I had a great practice this week, I only jumped one time before the meet. It was a great jump. I knew I could get the heights I cleared but I wasn't expecting to come out on top."
Taylor had to clear two heights beyond the previous Alabama record of 14-3 1/2 (5.35m), set by Alexis Paine in 2014, to win the championship.
The Fort Worth, Texas native cleared 14-5 1/4 (4.40m) on her first attempt to take the lead in the competition then followed that up with her winning clearance at 14.7 1/4 (4.45m), again on her first attempt, and defeated runner-up Annie Rhodes of Baylor based on fewest misses. In all, Taylor missed only one attempt at the first six heights before both she and Rhodes missed three times at 14-9 (4.50m) to end the competition.
Taylor's previous best finish in the pole vault at the NCAA indoor championships was a sixth-place finish in 2015.
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