Three Air Force Alums Advance to Pole Vault Finals
7/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
July 2, 2016
EUGENE, Ore. -- Three graduates of the Air Force pole vault team advanced to the event finals at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, after registering top-12 finishes in the qualifying round of action this morning (July 2) at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Dylan Bell, who graduated from the Academy this past May, was the trio's top finisher during the qualifying round, placing fourth with a clearance of 18'2½". Cale Simmons (Class of 2013) also recorded a clearance of 18'2½", while finishing sixth based on attempts. Joey Uhle, a 2015 graduate, rounded out the trio, after placing ninth with a height of 18'0½".
The competition opened at 17'8½" -- a height that took nine of the 26 competitors out of the competition. Simmons and Uhle easily cleared the opening bar on their first attempt, while Bell made the clearance on his second. The bar moved up to 18'0½" and Uhle cleared that on his first try, while both Simmons and Bell passed on that mark. The field was whittled down to 14 with that height and the bar moved to 18'2½" in an attempt to determine the final 12 that would advance to the finals. Bell vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with his first-attempt clearance, while Simmons earned his spot in the finals with a clearance on his second chance. Uhle was unable to clear the 18'2½" bar, but finished ninth overall with his perfect performance on the opening two jumps.
The Air Force trio returns to Historic Hayward Field on Monday, July 4, for the finals of the Olympic Trials pole vault. Action is slated to begin 3:30 p.m. (PT). The top three finishers from Monday's competition will determine the three vaulters that will advance to the Olympic Games in Rio.
Players Mentioned
