Happy Friday, Cards fan! Guess what, this is not FRIDAYS WITH DARYL. Daryl. She had some things come up on her busy schedule and asked for some help so I gladly stepped in. Paulie also jumped in this morning with big news.
Gabriela Leon won the Pole Vault event late last night. More on that in a bit.
We do get to report on some sports once again and it's not Oklahoma softball winning another title by sweeping Texas. Louisville actually had some folks competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. They also have a national championship trophy to put in the trophy case.
In normal NCAA fashion, events ran behind their listed schedule, so not all of our women's competitors did not go at their listed slots. Many events were running well behind schedule and left those in the Eastern Time Zone exhausted and hoping for updated results in the morning.
Katie Martin did get a chance to compete in the women's 400m hurdles. Martin finished 15th with a time of 58.06 seconds. Despite setting a personal best, topping her old best of 59.41 seconds, the junior did not qualify for the finals on Saturday per the NCAA scores report. Martin did earn Second Team All-American honors.
Gabriela Leon and Aaliyah Welter were both competing in the women's pole vault final. As we mentioned, Leon won and Welter finished with a height of 4.05m.
Synclair Savage was part of the women's long jump. All competitors had just finished their first out of three attempts a little after 11:00, given the scores were correctly updated, and Savage did not complete her first attempt.
Here's more on Leon: (courtesy of Go Cards)
The University of Louisville’s Gabriela Leon became the first women's outdoor national champion in program history with a first-team All-American height of 4.60m (15-1) in the pole vault on day two of the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
"I am speechless, this is a dream come true!" said Leon. "Having all the hard work and dedication pay off means the world to me. I am not the only one who deserves the applause. I want to thank God for being by my side through this process and giving me strength to show the world what he can do when you work hard and let him do the rest. I also want to thank Coach (Brooke) Rasnick, staff, teammates, fans, trainers, and family."
Leon became the fourth collegiate women's pole vaulter with three clearances of 4.60m (15-1) and the only this season with three marks over 4.57m (15-0). Earlier this season, the redshirt senior set Louisville's outdoor school record of 4.61m (15-1.5) which stands first in the ACC and second nationally. It also ranks as the second-best all-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault mark and eighth-best all-time outdoor performer mark in collegiate history. Leon also won her second straight ACC women's outdoor pole vault title and was named ACC Women's Field Performer of the Week three times this season.
"Tonight's women's pole vault competition was the perfect capstone to Gabriela Leon's collegiate career," added head coach Dale Cowper. "She has accomplished so much during the last five years and now we have the privilege of calling her a National Champion. This does not happen without the guidance of Coach Rasnick and the tireless effort of our support staff. I am truly thankful for everyone that helps our student-athletes compete at the highest level."
"I am speechless, this is a dream come true!" said Leon. "Having all the hard work and dedication pay off means the world to me. I am not the only one who deserves the applause. I want to thank God for being by my side through this process and giving me strength to show the world what he can do when you work hard and let him do the rest. I also want to thank Coach (Brooke) Rasnick, staff, teammates, fans, trainers, and family."
Leon became the fourth collegiate women's pole vaulter with three clearances of 4.60m (15-1) and the only this season with three marks over 4.57m (15-0). Earlier this season, the redshirt senior set Louisville's outdoor school record of 4.61m (15-1.5) which stands first in the ACC and second nationally. It also ranks as the second-best all-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault mark and eighth-best all-time outdoor performer mark in collegiate history. Leon also won her second straight ACC women's outdoor pole vault title and was named ACC Women's Field Performer of the Week three times this season.
"Tonight's women's pole vault competition was the perfect capstone to Gabriela Leon's collegiate career," added head coach Dale Cowper. "She has accomplished so much during the last five years and now we have the privilege of calling her a National Champion. This does not happen without the guidance of Coach Rasnick and the tireless effort of our support staff. I am truly thankful for everyone that helps our student-athletes compete at the highest level."
LINK TO JUMP: LEON'S WINNING VAULT
Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast
As far as I know, we should be good for our regular Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast tomorrow morning at 11:00. We don't have too much UofL news but will gladly cover whatever is available.
I have a hunch that the famous Cardinal Couple quiz will be starting within the next couple of weeks.
Who will be on air? Well, your guess is as good as ours.
Happy Friday and Go Cards!
Jared (and Paulie)
Huge vault.. Thanks for posting it and her comments.
ReplyDeleteNick O