Ryan Santa / Bill Breslin Article (MI)

[skyshark177]

http://www.hometownlife.com/Livonia/News.asp?pageType=StoryCurrent&StoryArchiveID=109307&StoryID=27590&Section=Sports&OnlineSection=Sports&SectionPubDate=Thursday,%20June%209,%202005&RefDate=6/11/2005

Churchill pole vaulters Santa, Breslin finish 1-2

By Brad Emons
Staff Writer

Livonia Churchill's Ryan Santa works nights at the Emagine Theater in Canton, but he couldn't imagine writing a better script during Saturday's Division I Boys Track and Field Championships held at Rockford.

Santa, a junior, cleared 15 feet to set a new Lower Peninsula D-1 Finals record. He also became become the school's first individual state boys track and field champion.

And to add icing on the cake, teammate Bill Breslin, a senior, set a personal record by going over the bar at 14 feet to tie for second.

"I expected to take first the way I'd been jumping, but there was more excitement for me over Bill taking second, I was really excited for him,'' said Santa, who eclipsed Benny Lopez of Grand Blanc's mark of 14-10 in 2004. "I did not have my best day, but I knew jumping 15 feet was my standard on a normal day. I started off slowly. I was trying some new poles.''

Churchill coach Rick Austin also was ecstatic over Churchill's one-two finish in the pole vault.

"I knew Santa had a great opportunity because he made 15 feet four times during the season and that seemed to be his plateau,'' Austin said. "But Billy was a bigger surprise. He's been number two to Santa all year, but they push each other in practice and in meets.

"Billy had no misses until his try at 14-3. He was perfect up until that point. It's great to see a senior go out that way.''

Both Santa and Breslin have been under the tutelage of Churchill assistant coach Vern Williams.

Santa plans to take a week or two off before working Williams' pole vault camps. He'll also compete in the Grand Haven Beat Vault.

"I'll hit the weight room, work on my speed and get faster for next year,'' Santa said of his summer plans.

Churchill finished 11th overall with 17 points in the meet won by Flint Carman-Ainsworth, which scored a team-high 53 to beat Detroit Mumford by 10.

Wayne Memorial's Darrian Miller also had a productive day, running 22.46 to place third in the 200-meter dash. He also ran 11.06 in the finals of the 100 dash to finish sixth.

Meanwhile, Redford Catholic Central's Nick Barrett threw the discus 161-4 to place seventh.

In the Division III state finals at Comstock Park, Livonia Clarenceville junior Donnie Carson finished fifth in 200 dash in 22.93.

Lutheran Westland made its presence known at Division IV finals at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids by scoring 11 points, good enough for 18th place.

The Warriors' 800 relay team of Billy Kahler, Rick Schwartz, Mike Schatz and Kevin Bartos placed third in 1:33.16.

Lutheran Westland's 1,600 relay team of Josh Palka, Kahler, Rob Considine and Kahler added a seventh (3:33.52).

Individually, Pat Higgins threw 49 feet, 0.25 inches to earn a seventh, while Bartos went 11.58 to finish eighth in the 100.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.detnews.com/2005/highschools ... 214154.htm

Churchill High student vaults into record books
Junior wins state pole vault title, sets record, but aims for bigger jumps in the future.

By Steve Stein / Special to The Detroit News


Max Ortiz / The Detroit News

Churchill High pole vaulter Ryan Santa took the Division 1 state pole vault championship with a record-setting leap. His coach and teammates commend his devotion to the sport.

Pole vault results
1st: Ryan Santa, Livonia Churchill, 15 feet, 0 inches
2nd (tie): Billy Breslin (Churchill) and Luke Dinnan (Midland), 14-0
4th (tie): Nathan Breithaupt (Traverse City Central) and Kevin Glynn (Pinckney), 14-0
6th: Logan Lynch (Temperance Bedford), 14-0
7th: Kalian Sweigart (Ann Arbor Pioneer), 13-6
8th: (tie) Nate Hartbarger (Bedford), Christian Althaus (Saline) and Kelly Todd (Brighton), 13-6 .
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LIVONIA -- You'd think Livonia Churchill High junior Ryan Santa would be jumping for joy after winning the Division 1 state pole vault championship with a record leap.
But the vaulting fanatic was far from satisfied with his performance at Rockford, which included a 15-foot jump that set a state record.
Benny Lopez of Grand Ledge established the old mark of 14-10 last year.
"I wasn't happy," Santa said. "My takeoffs were bad. The 15-foot vault was my worst of the day. I took off about a foot too close to the pit, but I was able to muscle through it."
Santa's personal-best vault and the Churchill school record is 15-1 1/2 , set at this year's Livonia city meet.
He hopes to be jumping 16-0 by the end of the summer and 17-0 by the conclusion of the next high school season.
"If I can jump 17 feet at next year's state meet, that record should stand for 10 or 15 years," Santa said. "Pole vaulting isn't real big in Michigan because the weather usually isn't that great."
Santa said he was more excited at the June 4 state meet for senior teammate Bill Breslin, who tied for second place with Midland's Luke Dinnan. Breslin vaulted a personal-best 14-0.
"What Bill did was unexpected," Santa said. "I expected to win."
Breslin said he came into the meet hoping that his top effort would give him a chance to place (finish in the top eight).
"I never thought I'd take second," he said.
His previous personal-best was 13-9. He did that at the River Rat Invitational in Ann Arbor earlier this season.
Eastern Michigan University is Breslin's next stop. He hopes to make the men's track team there as a walk-on.
Churchill boys track coach Rick Austin and Breslin are both impressed by Santa's dedication to pole vaulting.
"Ryan works like a professional," Austin said. "There are no wasted motions and no inefficiencies. His conditioning is done specifically for pole vaulting."
"All good pole vaulters are really into it, but Ryan is something," Breslin said. "When he's not practicing, he's reading everything he can about it. He gave up soccer and basketball to focus on it."

[rainbowgirl28]

"When he's not practicing, he's reading everything he can about it.

On PoleVaultPower.com

[skyshark177]

"When he's not practicing, he's reading everything he can about it.

On PoleVaultPower.com

That's right!

Hey, You beat me to it Becca, I was just going to put that up.
Thanks!

[ryansanta]

haha, thanks for posting that, and I'm working on that takeoff.

[vaulter870]

when you are awake and not sleeping in the shed. hey are you jumping sat. or any other time soon??