University of Tennessee Athletics
Blankenship Heads To National Pole Vault Summit
January 13, 2016 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee senior pole vaulter Jake Blankenship will attend and compete in the National Pole Vault Summit held Jan. 15-16 in Reno, Nev.
Blankenship, who was recently named to the 2016 Bowerman Award Men's Preseason Watch List, will attend presentations by some of the most renowned experts in pole vault, participate in a meet and greet and take part in competition at the Reno Livestock Events Center.
Blankenship is a four-time USTFCCCA All-American and currently leads the nation with an indoor mark of 5.45 meters (17 feet, 10.5 inches), which he cleared at this past week's 21st Indiana-Tennessee Dual. He earned First Team All-America honors for the 2014 outdoor season and the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons and was a Second Team honoree for the 2013 outdoor season. In 2015, he was the national runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships and placed sixth in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Last year, he set career marks, clearing 5.80 meters (19 feet, 0.25 inch) in the indoor and outdoor seasons. His 5.80-meter outdoor mark was the eighth-best mark in the world during the 2015 outdoor season.
Blankenship enjoyed an outstanding summer competing for Team USA. He earned bronze at the USATF Championships with a final clearance of 5.60 meters (18 feet, 4.25 inches). Blankenship took bronze at the Pan American Games by clearing a height of 5.40 meters (17 feet, 8.5 inches) and also competed at the World Championships in China.
The National Pole Vault Summit is a grassroots developmental clinic established and continued to promote safety and encourage the advancement of pole vaulting at all levels through constant education. The Summit structure is designed to meet the needs of all ability levels including athlete, coaches and parent break-out sessions, learn-by-doing instruction and roundtable discussion with the world’s best athletes and coaches.
