Rutgers sophomore Noah Kriesman, a 2022 Cherry Hill East graduate, continues his spectacular sophomore season with another PR at a meet last weekend in Chicago.
After being unfairly bypassed for the “invitational” pole vault competition at the Badger’s Windy City Invite at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Indoor Track Facility, Kriesman cleared 16-7 ¼ to place 2nd in the other pole vault division, a clearance that would have placed him 5th in the invitational event.
Kriesman has now PR’d three times since Jan. 14 – 16-2 ¾ in Boston, 16-3 ½ in Boston a few days later and now 16-7 ¼.
That’s No. 6 in Rutgers history (their performance list hasn’t been updated this year) and No. 9 currently in the Big Ten Conference. Current Rutgers freshmen Brian and Kevin Sullivan from Hillsborough High in Somerset Couty have both cleared over 17 feet this winter, 17-3 ½ for Brian and 17-0 ¾ for Kevin, and junior Nico Morales from Rutgers cleared 16-6 earlier this season.
It’s also the 3rd-best vault ever by a South Jersey alum, behind Seneca graduate Mike Maira, who cleared 16-10 indoors in College Station, Texas, in 2014, and Morales, who cleared 16-9 ½ last April at the Penn Relays.
At Cherry Hill East, Kriesman had a lifetime best of 15-0, which he cleared indoors as a senior at the Bubble and outdoors when he placed 3rd at Group 4 states at Franklin Township.
Kriesman spent his freshman year at Rider and only competed indoors and improved to 15-7 with a 2nd-place at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships a year ago this week at the Armory. That’s 3rd in Rider history.
So he’s improved more than a foot and a half since the start of last year’s indoor season. Kriesman has yet to compete in an outdoor meet as a collegian.
Next for Rutgers and their large South Jersey contingent is the Big Ten Championships Friday and Saturday at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, about 60 miles northeast of Cleveland.
All-Time South Jersey Alumni Pole Vault List
16-10i … Mike Maira [Seneca], March 1, 2014, College Station, Texas
16-9 ½ … Nico Morales [Delsea], April 28, 2023, Philadephia
16-7 ¼ … Noah Kreisman [Cherry Hill East], Feb. 9, 2024, Chicago
16-0 ¾ …….. Maira, April 26, 2014, Philadelphia
16-0 … Bob Green [Haddon Heights], May 1, 1992, Voorhees, N.J.
16-0 … Marco Morales [Delsea], Feb. 11, 2020, Staten Island, N.Y.
15-9 … Nick Gilanelli [], April 15, 2006, Charlottesville, Va.
15-7 … Brandon Kurtz [Absegami], May 25, 1991, Bridgeton, N.J.
15-6 … Matt Mancini [Cinnaminson], April 10, 2020, Princeton, N.J.
15-6i … Dan Batdorf [West Deptford], Feb. 23, 2008, Toms River, N.J.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 