South Jersey finally has its first 17-foot pole vaulter!
Cherry Hill East graduate Noah Kriesman, a Rutgers freshman, cleared a monster PR of 17-3 ½ at the USC Outdoor Open in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
He came within one-quarter of an inch of the Rutgers school record of 17-3 ¾ set last month in Orlando by Brian O’Sullivan from Hillsborough High School in Somerset County.
Kriesman’s previous lifetime best was 16-7 ¼ indoors in Chicago in February. His previous outdoor PR was a 16-2 ¾ a week earlier at Princeton.
The best previous vault by a South Jersey athlete was 16-10 by Seneca graduate and Tennessee junior Mike Maira at the 2014 SEC Championships in College Station, Texas, on March 1, 2014.
The best previous outdoor vault by a South Jersey high school graduate was a 16-9 ½ by Delsea graduate Nico Morales – also for Rutgers – at last year’s Penn Relays.
Kriesman passed the first six heights and entered at 15-9 ¾, clearing on his 1st attempt. He needed all three tries to make 16-3 ½ but then got over 16-7 ½ on his 1st attempt, a lifetime-best 16-11 on his 2nd try and then the big 17-3 ½ on his 3rd. He took three attempts at 17-7 ¼.
Kriesman placed 4th and beat both Rutgers Sullivan twins for the first time. Brian took 6th at 16-7 ½, and Kevin placed 11th at 16-3 ½. Delsea’s Morales cleared 16-3 ½ and placed 11th.
This is Kriesman’s first year of college outdoor track. He competed indoors last year for Rider and hit 15-7 to place 2nd at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships at the Armory.
He resurfaced at Rutgers this indoor season and had five meets over 16 feet, including that 16-7 ¼ in Chicago which made him No. 7 in Rutgers indoor history and No. 3 in South Jersey alumni history behind Maira and Morales.
Kriesman’s high school PR was 15-0, so he’s added nearly 2 ½ feet since he graduated and increased his outdoor PR 2 feet, 4 ½ inches since March 30.
Kriesman now ranks 4th in the Big Ten this year but only a quarter of an inch outside No. 2. Cody Johnston of Illinois is the top vaulter in the conference and the top freshman in NCAA Division 1 with an 18-4 ½ last month in Gainesville. Kriesman is No. 38 in NCAA Division 1 and No. 8 among freshmen.
Brian O’Sullivan has cleared 17-3 ¾ and Kevin Sullivan 17-1 this spring. The two O’Sullivans and Kriesman are three of the top-eight freshmen in NCAA Division 1. The results list Kriesman as a sophomore, but this is his first season of outdoor track, so while he’s a sophomore academically, he’s a freshman in outdoor track.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 