It was a late night, but Western Illinois pole vaulter Arnie Grunert did not mind, putting in a little extra work on Wednesday night.
The Leatherneck sophomore made program history in multiple ways, setting a new school record in his event and also qualified for the NCAA National Meet in Eugene, Oregon on June 5.
Grunert becomes the first Leatherneck male to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the pole vault in program history and the first WIU male to qualify for outdoor nationals since Jamario Taylor and Nathaniel Marshall in 2014.
Grunert had a perfect start to the evening, clearing his first three heights on his first attempts.
In the fourth round, Grunert had his first stab at a program record at 17 feet, 5.5 inches, but came up short. On his second attempt, Grunert nailed the record, keeping his national hopes alive.
In the fifth round, Grunert went for a new record of 17-9.25. After missing his first attempt, Grunert cleared the height, set the program record, and locked up his national invitation.
Also on Wednesday night, WIU’s Toriano Tate had his season come to an end, not qualifying in the long jump.
The NCAA West Region continues on Thursday with Renee Raglin participating in the long jump at 3 p.m. On Saturday, Aliyah Adams resumes her quest for nationals in the triple jump at 6 p.m.
***Courtesy of Western Illinois University***
