http://www.mlive.com/sports/grpress/ind ... xml&coll=6
Calvin senior soars to school pole vault record
Friday, April 21, 2006
By Howie Beardsley
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- All it took was nice weather and stiff competition from her lakeshore rivals for Calvin College senior Missy Smith to make pole vault history.
Smith (Grand Rapids Christian) soared 12 feet, 7 inches in dual-meet wins over Alma and Hope colleges to move into some select company.
Competing against a strong contingent of pole vaulters from Hope, Smith cleared the bar at 12-7 on her third and final attempt for an automatic NCAA Division III qualifying mark, and to break the school record of 12-6 established in 2002 by Rachel Veltkamp.
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Last year's fifth-place finisher at the national championship meet, Smith also became the first Division III vaulter this spring to go 12-7, the eighth-best height in DIII history.
"I was quite hopeful I could make that height, and I actually did think I would after my competition the week before at Ferris State," Smith said.
Near misses at Ferris
"I cleared 12-2 3/4 at Ferris, and I had two good attempts at 12-7, despite the temperature being 45 degrees. I barely brushed the bar on one of those attempts, so I knew I was right there at that height."
Smith said last Saturday's warm and sunny conditions and the competition she received from Hope's vaulting trio of Laura Borovsky, Jennifer VanderMeer (Holland) and Maureen Warfield combined to boost her performance.
VanderMeer, the national runner-up last year, also owns a Division III qualifying mark. Borovsky and Warfield have provisional qualifying heights.
"Saturday's competition against Hope was the first time outdoors this year when I was up against really good competition," Smith said. "It was good for me.
"I've vaulted against Maureen for four years, and you really get to know the other vaulters in the community, because there's a lot of talent in this area, and we all take our vaulting seriously."
Especially Smith, an Asian studies and German major who studied for one semester in China as a sophomore, and took advantage of some foreign coaching and training.
"I trained with a coach and some male vaulters from Peking University, and, one day, a top Chinese female vaulter who competed in the Asian Games and the Olympics worked with me," Smith said.
"I've focused a lot more on my techniques this season, and I want to get consistent at the mid-12 (foot) range. I also would love to get to 13 feet. I feel that's a reasonable goal."
