Becky Holliday is making her presence known to the rest of the country.
The transfer from Clackamas Community College in Oregon City finished seventh on Friday in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayatteville, Ark. Her mark of 13-7 feet and 1/4 inches was one foot behind Amy Linnen of Arizona (14-10.25), who took first place.
The junior cleared her opening height of 12-11 1/2 and did the same at 13-3 1/2. She missed her first jump at her final height, but was able to clear it on a second try.
Holliday was unable to practice for two weeks prior to the meet due to an injury suffered in practice, making her final mark even more impressive. She required seven stitches, snapped a pole and suffered bruises to her hand and shoulder.
“Physically, the injuries from the accident didn’t affect me today, although I got some stomach cramps in warm-ups that were a minor distraction,” Holliday said. “But there weren’t enough to affect me, and I was happy with my technique. I finally rocked back and stayed with the pole. Once I do that more often, I’ll get 14 feet easy, so I’m looking forward to outdoors and utilizing more of those techniques.”
With her mark, Holliday garnered Oregon’s fourth All-America honor in the event’s five-year history. She tied Oregon’s best mark in the event, but because it was on her second try, she is considered to have missed the school’s record.
“Becky is doing OK transitioning into a new system and has picked up a lot of new things, but more importantly is setting the stage for higher marks,” Oregon assistant coach Mark Vanderville said.
Oregon’s other pole vaulter, senior Niki Reed, placed 10th in the competition at a height of 13-3 1/2. She missed three tries at 13-7 1/4 that would have matched Holliday’s mark.
Reed, who is planning on redshirting during the outdoor season, just missed her third All-America honor. In the 2000 season, she finished fourth with a mark of 13-5 1/4.
“Niki has been using bigger poles more and more in practice, so we knew how she responded to them today would influence her finish,” Vanderville said.
Holliday and the rest of the Ducks will compete in their first meet of the season on Eugene soil when they participate in the Montana-Weber State Triangular at Hayward Field on Saturday.