Jones Soars To NCAA Qualifying Mark In Pole Vault

April 15, 2006

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Senior Dave Jones' NCAA regional qualifying effort of 16-6 ¾ in the pole vault competition provided the highlight of the opening day performance of the Central Michigan University men's track and field team at the Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee. Jones finished tied for fourth in the pole vault, the best placing by a Chippewa on the day.

Three other Chippewas turned in top 10 finishes at the Tom Black Track in Knoxville on Friday. Greg Pilling just missed out on an NCAA qualifying mark in the open discus as he finished sixth with a mark of 169-4. John Pilling placed eighth in the invitational discus (162-5), while freshman Abraham Mach had an impressive 10th-place finish in the 800m (1:51.61).

"I thought that our throwers and pole vaulters did really well," CMU head coach Jim Knapp said. "Outside of that, it was a bit of a disappointment. We're just a little bit slower than what we're capable of. I'm sure some of that has to do with needing to knock some rust off from not competing in seven weeks, but we also need to be mentally tougher. Hopefully, we'll bounce back tomorrow and see some better results."

CMU will have competitors in several of the events on the final day of the Sea Rays, including senior sprinter Johnie Drake in the invitational 100m dash, the throwers in the invitational shot put event and both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.

Action at the Tom Black Track begins with the men's open hammer throw competition at 9:15 a.m. The 4x400m relay concludes the meet at 5:45 p.m.

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