PROVO, Utah – Senior Maren Garnett claimed the No. 1 all-time spot in the pole vault at the Cougar Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
"I was just really excited to vault," said Garnett. "I'd put it together in my mind, so I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of doing it physically and putting it in practice. Every meet is a confidence builder and about proving to myself that I can jump higher. Competing with my group is the best part. It's our team that makes it such a fun experience. We cheer each other on and push each other to be more competitive. I know whatever the outcome, I'm happy for them and they're going be happy for me."
After claiming No. 5 on the program all-time pole vault list in December, Garnett was able to clear 4.45m/14-7.25 to jump to No. 1 in program history, surpassing Cailee Faulker's previous record (4.40m/14-5.25). Teammate Rebekah Erikson finished in second place with her 4.33m/14-1.25.
"Maren's got higher bars to jump, but there's no one I've coached that's ever worked harder than she does," said pole vault coach Rick McWhorter. "She spends time before and after practice analyzing every part of her jump. She's truly a student of the vault. As a coaching staff, we chose her to be one of our captains because she's the ultimate team leader. She wants everybody to do well and takes the time to watch and help everybody. She is the ultimate teammate."
In the women’s 200m, BYU women represented four of the top five finishes. Sami Oblad finished first after crossing in 24.42, Paje Rasmussen notched second place after running 24.78 and Kaitlyn Hutchings crossed in 25.55. Cate Phipps Louis finished in fifth after running a 25.79.
Both Rasmussen and Louis also proved successful in the 60m, where Rasmussen took first after crossing in 7.58 and Louis’ personal best (7.64), giving her a third-place finish.
Up Next
The Cougars head to New York City to compete in the Dr. Sander Scorcher at the Armory Track & Field Center from Jan. 24-25. See updates here.