The Hopkins men’s track team members Andrew Bartnett and Andrew Carey competed in the NCAA Championships on March 13 and 14 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Given the shape he was in, he had to properly strategize his vaults.
“I didn’t have the greatest endurance going into nationals due to injuries, so I was trying to take the least amount of jumps possible,” Bartnett said. “This is a little nerve-racking because it involves skipping heights. So I just focused on my form and staying in the competition mentally.”
After two attempts, he cleared 5.10 meters, joining two others in the competition in attempting to vault 5.15 meters.
“When we got above 5.10 meters, the energy was so high amongst the three remaining competitors,” the sophomore vaulter said. “We were all cheering and rooting each other on. It was a great competitive atmosphere.”
He cleared 5.15 meters on his first attempt and 5.20 meters on his second. However, the sophomore hailing from St. Louis, Mo. was unable to progress after failing to clear any further heights. North Central freshman Luke Winder cleared 5.36 meters and won first place. Bartnett tied a career record and came in third, the top finish in Hopkins pole-vaulting history.
Also on the first day, senior Carey finished in sixth place in the first heat of the 800-meter run.
“Since I hadn’t raced in a while, I went out pretty conservatively. Unfortunately, I got boxed in and wasn’t able to place highly in my heat,” Carey said. “Luckily, the other heat was so slow that I made the finals. This changed my approach drastically. I knew I had to be more assertive and aggressive to place highly. I simply wasn’t fit enough to run from the back.”
Ultimately, he had a top-eight time at 1:54.21 and qualified for the championship race the next day.
In the final race, which was his last as a Blue Jay in his indoor career, Carey knew he was going to have to alter his strategy to be successful.
In a fierce final competition, Carey came in third place with a time of 1:54.11.
The Jays open their outdoor season this weekend at both the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina and the Maryland Invitation in College Park.
