SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? Indiana State University freshman Kylie Hutson just missed advancing to the finals of the women's pole vault competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Wednesday, finishing in a tie for 14th after the preliminaries.
“I had a pretty good day,” Hutson said. “I was really relaxed during the first two bars but got a little nervous on the third bar.”
Hutson had a good attempt at 4.0 meters and thought that she had cleared the height on her first attempt.
“I had a pretty good attempt at the bar and thought I had cleared it,” Hutson said. “I don't know what touched the bar but it came down. I'm really happy. This was a great experience and I look forward to coming back next year.”
ISU coach Jeff Martin was equally happy with Hutson's performance.
“I thought she handled the pressure of the national championship very well,” Martin said. “As a freshman at this level, you can be completely overwhelmed but she handled it very well.”
Hutson finished 15th in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this year and was the only Indiana State qualifier at the national indoor meet.
Indiana State senior Paladin Jordan is the Sycamore's final competitor at the National Championship and will begin his competition today in the 400 meter hurdles. The semifinals of the 400 meter hurdles will be held on Friday with the finals on Saturday.
