Neuenswander leaps in as runner-up in pole vault for NCAAs

The second-best women’s pole vaulter in the country is none other than the Hoosiers’ Vera Neuenswander.

Neuenswander finished as the runner-up to Indiana State’s Kylie Huston at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

By virtue of being the only competitor to clear 4.00, 4.10, 4.20 and 4.30 meters on her first attempts, Neuenswander headed into the 4.40-meter height with the lead.  However, Huston cleared the 4.40-meter jump to become national champion, and Neuenswander could not clear that height and placed second.

Neuenswander said she was happy to do as well as she did, despite barely missing the national championship.

“I did as much as I could have hoped for,” she said. “It was a great day, and I feel blessed to do as well as I did.”

Also competing for the Hoosiers and earning All-American awards were sophomore Sarah Pease and senior Tiffany Howard. Pease finished seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Howard placed ninth in the shot put.

Pease, who ran by three competitors on the last lap and a half, said she was very proud of herself.

“I was really, really pleased with my time,” she said. “Going into the last lap, I knew I could pass the people I did.”

IU coach Ron Helmer praised the performance of his All-Americans.

“Vera was excellent in the finals, and Sara was patient with a great competitive effort,” he said. “Tiffany also did well for her first trip to nationals.”

Also competing at the national championships was freshman Derek Drouin and juniors Molly Beckwith, Ashley Rhoades and Wendi Robinson. Rhoades placed 13th in high jump, and Robinson was 15th in the 10,000-meter run.

Beckwith and Drouin both were among the country’s top athletes in their respective events but were unable to place out of the preliminary rounds of the 800-meter run and high jump, respectively.

By virtue of Neuenswander’s and Pease’s top-eight finishes, the Hoosiers scored 10 points as a team. The overall national champion for both the men and women was Texas A&M.

Helmer said the national championship and this year as a whole represent significant progress for the Hoosiers.

“We are a top-30 team and headed in the right direction,” he said. “None of our athletes could make nationals last year, and now they can.”  

IU returns to action June 24 when its athletes will compete at the U.S. Track and Field Senior and Junior Championships in Eugene, Ore.