INDIANAPOLIS – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released on Friday the individuals who qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Men’s Track and Field Championship and Washington and Lee senior Joe O’Connor (Henrico, Va./Douglas Freeman) earned a spot in the pole vault.
Out of the 20 competitors to qualify in the event, O’Connor is tied for the second-best mark at 5.05m (16’6.75″). He cleared that height at the Mount Olive First Chance Meet on May 14, breaking his own school record, as well as the 15-year old ODAC record.
First-year Luka Srsic of MIT edges O’Connor and senior Garrett Silva of Whittier for the top mark in the nation at 5.06m (16’7.25″). This is the second time O’Connor has qualified for the outdoor championship (2021). O’Connor also qualified for the indoor championship this season, where he placed second in the pole vault.
The NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held on May 26-28 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The men’s pole vault is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 12:00 pm.