Wooten produces personal-best clearance in first appearance in Reno in five years, Gunnarsson rebounds from slow start to become only third international athlete in meet history to prevail in women’s elite competition

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

RENO – Lisa Gunnarsson nearly saw her debut at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit grounded on her opening height Friday.

INTERVIEWS | 

But the LSU junior regrouped in time to overcome two early misses and return to her impressive form to secure victory in the women’s global elite competition by clearing 14 feet, 9 inches (4.50m).

Jacob Wooten made his return to Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center for the first time in five years, but the result in the men’s global elite competition was the same as it was in 2015 when he represented Tomball, Texas in the high school elite section.

The former Texas A&M All-American cleared a lifetime-best 19-0.25 (5.80m) on the second attempt and edged last year’s winner Matt Ludwig on a tiebreaker based on fewer misses at earlier heights. Ludwig, a former Akron All-American, won last year’s elite competition clearing 18-8.75 (5.71m).

Wooten, who cleared 17 feet (5.18m) in Reno as a high school senior, surpassed his previous indoor best of 18-9.50 (5.73m) from last year’s third-place finish at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor final.

South Dakota senior Chris Nilsen placed third with a first-attempt clearance at 18-8.25 (5.70m), but the three-time NCAA Division 1 champion joined Wooten and Ludwig in missing at 19-2.25 (5.85m).

Gunnarsson missed twice at 14-1.25 (4.30m), before making her opening height, followed by 14-5.25 (4.40m) and 14-9 (4.50m) both on first attempts.

That wound up being the difference against former Arkansas All-American Lexi Jacobus, who made 14-9 on her third try, as both athletes missed three attempts at 15-1 (4.60m). The four-time NCAA Division 1 champion cleared 13-7.25 (4.15m) and 14-1.25 on first attempts, before making 14-5.25 on her second try.

Gunnarsson, representing Sweden, joined Greece’s Katerina Stefanidi and Brazil’s Fabiana Murer, both two-time winners, as the only international athletes in meet history to triumph in the women’s elite competition.

Gunnarsson, who had Monday and Tuesday off from school in honor of the LSU football team capturing the national championship, celebrated the biggest indoor victory of her career on the same day Tigers players and coaches visited the White House.

American professionals Daylis Caballero Vega, Megan Clark and Katie Nageotte all tied for third with successful first attempts at 14-5.25. Nageotte, the two-time U.S. Indoor champion, vaulted the entire competition from a short approach – using 10 steps, including five lefts – to place in the top three in Reno for the fourth year in a row after finishing seventh in 2016.

Former Indiana standout Sophie Gutermuth, a 2015 Division 1 Indoor finalist, cleared 14-1.25 on her second attempt to win the women’s elite second flight.

Former Texas All-American Reece Watson won the men’s elite second flight with an 18-0.50 (5.50m) clearance, prevailing in a three-way tiebreaker with Arizona Pole Vault Academy’s Garrett Starkey and Nate Richartz of Risen Performance based on fewer misses at earlier heights.