Junior Anna Schatzle places 20th in pole vault at NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
By Wes Mayberry
GENEVA — Ohio Northern junior Anna Schatzle (Brookville, Ind./Franklin County) cleared a height of 3.60 meters to place 20th in the pole vault Thursday at the NCAA Division III Championships at the SPIRE Institute.
The pole vault event was moved indoors due to high gusts of wind reaching 25 mph.
Schatzle cleared the first height of 3.45 meters on her second attempt and successfully jumped 3.60 meters on her third attempt at that height but was unable to clear 3.70 meters.
"The first step was to get over the first bar and get a mark and get into the competition, and then it becomes a normal meet. So that was a big accomplishment for sure," ONU track and field head coach Jason Maus said. "She kept battling and grinding, and each jump was a little bit better, and she was able to clear that second bar."
Schatzle qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this season and no-heighted in the pole vault but was all smiles after finding success on Thursday.
"I didn't clear any bars at the indoor meet, so that was a big disappointment. It was fun to clear two bars today and redeem myself," Schatzle said. "I was a little bit nervous at the beginning, but once I cleared that first bar, I was like, 'It's go time," and it was like a normal meet from there."
Maus commended Schatzle for her accomplishments this season.
"It's really hard to get to the national meet, so qualifying for indoor and outdoor nationals in the same year is a huge accomplishment," he said.
Schatzle left Thursday's meet proud of having qualified for both national meets this season.
"It's a pretty big accomplishment for myself," she said. "I put a lot of time and effort into pole vaulting, and it's exciting to compete at the highest level."
Schatzle qualified for outdoor nationals by clearing a personal-best mark of 3.75 meters at the St. Francis (Ill.) Fighting Chance Invite on May 14. That mark ranks fourth all-time at ONU, and she entered Thursday's competition as the No. 19 seed out of 22 qualifiers.
After qualifying for both national meets and winning the Ohio Athletic Conference outdoor pole vault championship this year, Schatzle has set herself up for continued success going into her senior season.
"It's a big accomplishment to be here at the national meet, and now she's cleared a couple bars here, and hopefully this will motivate her to come back next year and keep improving," Maus said.
