Junior Anna Schatzle competes in the pole vault at 2022 NCAA III Indoor Track and Field Championships
By Wes Mayberry
| NCAA III Track and Field Championships page |
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Ohio Northern junior Anna Schatzle (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County) competed in the women's pole vault at the 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday at JDL Fast Track.
Schatzle qualified for the NCAA Championships meet after placing in the top 20 nationally by clearing a career-high mark of 3.72 meters in last Friday's Polar Bear Final Qualifier. That height set her as the No. 19 seed for the national meet and ranks fifth-best all-time at ONU.
On Friday, Schatzle was unable to clear the bar on all three of her attempts at 3.55 meters after passing on the opening height of 3.40 meters.
ONU track and field head coach Jason Maus still came away proud of what Schatzle was able to achieve during the indoor season.
"It's a big step for a young woman to be in the top 20 in the country and make the national meet. That's a huge accomplishment," Maus said. "This experience becomes a good building block. It's hard to get here, and performing here is another step. I know today is frustrating and disappointing for her, but she's done a great job all season, and she'll bounce back. This will fuel her for the outdoor season for sure."
Schatzle's presence at Friday's meet also carried on a long tradition of the ONU track and field program being represented on the national stage.
"ONU has been represented at a lot of national championships. We haven't missed very many in the last 20 years," Maus said. "It's a big accomplishment to be here, and it continues to push our program forward. Anna is a great representative of our program, and she should be proud that she's here."
The Polar Bears begin the outdoor portion of their schedule on March 26 at the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational.
