TicketsLEXINGTON, Ky. — Junior Abby Knouff punched her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the women's pole vault on Friday as the University of Cincinnati track and field program concluded day three of the NCAA East First Rounds in Lexington.
For the second year in a row Knouff advanced out of the East First Rounds in the pole vault as she placed fifth overall after clearing an outdoor personal best mark of 4.30m / 14' 1.25".
The Tallmadge, Ohio native's new outdoor personal best is the second-best mark in program history. Knouff holds the indoor school record with a mark of 4.32m / 14' 2".
The women's pole vault was initially scheduled for Thursday, but it was moved to Friday due to severe weather in the area.
Knouff was the first Bearcat to punch her ticket out of the East First Rounds this week. She will join Dominique Hall (decathlon) and Juliette Laracuente-Huebner (heptathlon), who were announced as qualifiers last week, at the championships on June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.
Graduate student Tyler Wirth raced as a Bearcat for the final time of his career. Wirth was right in the mix of the lead pack with 1k to go before Tennessee's Jacob Lewis fell, causing multiple runners, including Wirth, to stumble. He placed 32nd with a time of 14.28.42 in the men's 5,000m semifinals.
The 5,000m was Wirth's second event of the meet as he placed 37th in the men's 1,500m with a time of 3:47.39 on Wednesday. He was the only member of the UC men's track team to compete in multiple events this week.
The Hawley, Pa., native will leave UC as one of the best distance runners in program history. He currently holds three school records in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500m and was part of the school record-setting indoor DMR team. He also was the eighth Bearcat to ever qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past season.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will close out its week at the NCAA East First Rounds with the women's high jump on Saturday. Junior Annika Kinley and sophomore Spirit Morgan will look to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships as the high jump will begin at 2 p.m.
For the second year in a row Knouff advanced out of the East First Rounds in the pole vault as she placed fifth overall after clearing an outdoor personal best mark of 4.30m / 14' 1.25".
The Tallmadge, Ohio native's new outdoor personal best is the second-best mark in program history. Knouff holds the indoor school record with a mark of 4.32m / 14' 2".
The women's pole vault was initially scheduled for Thursday, but it was moved to Friday due to severe weather in the area.
Knouff was the first Bearcat to punch her ticket out of the East First Rounds this week. She will join Dominique Hall (decathlon) and Juliette Laracuente-Huebner (heptathlon), who were announced as qualifiers last week, at the championships on June 5-8 in Eugene, Ore.
Graduate student Tyler Wirth raced as a Bearcat for the final time of his career. Wirth was right in the mix of the lead pack with 1k to go before Tennessee's Jacob Lewis fell, causing multiple runners, including Wirth, to stumble. He placed 32nd with a time of 14.28.42 in the men's 5,000m semifinals.
The 5,000m was Wirth's second event of the meet as he placed 37th in the men's 1,500m with a time of 3:47.39 on Wednesday. He was the only member of the UC men's track team to compete in multiple events this week.
The Hawley, Pa., native will leave UC as one of the best distance runners in program history. He currently holds three school records in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500m and was part of the school record-setting indoor DMR team. He also was the eighth Bearcat to ever qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships this past season.
// UP NEXT
Cincinnati will close out its week at the NCAA East First Rounds with the women's high jump on Saturday. Junior Annika Kinley and sophomore Spirit Morgan will look to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships as the high jump will begin at 2 p.m.