NEW YORK CITY – Appearing in his first USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, App State’s Matthew Gray placed eighth in the pole vault on Sunday to complete a long and impressive breakout season.
The youngest vaulter in the field (at both this meet and at the USA indoor championships in February when he placed sixth), Gray cleared the first two bars (5.42 and 5.62 meters) before coming up short of the third (5.72 meters). Only five of the 16 competitors in New York cleared 5.72.
Gray tied for eighth (based on when his misses occurred) with his height of 5.62m/18-5.25. The top five finishers – Chris Nilsen, Sam Kendricks, Zach Bradford, KC Lightfoot and Cole Walsh – are all ranked top 16 in the world this year.
The Bryson City, N.C., native capped an incredible season that included an array of accomplishments:
- First-team All-American (5th at NCAA Outdoors)
- No. 12 pole vaulter in NCAA history
- Sun Belt Male Field Performer of the Year
- Broke his own school record four separate times
- Three meet records, including Sun Belt Championships
- Three facility records
