👟 Samantha Van Hoecke Places Eighth in Pole Vault on Thursday

EUGENE, Ore. –  Kansas sophomore Samantha Van Hoecke placed eighth overall to earn First Team All-Amerca honors in the women’s pole vault final at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday, clearing 4.20m (13-9.25 ft.).

Van Hoecke’s performance marked her first-career NCAA Outdoor All-America honors in just her first-career NCAA Outdoor appearance.

Van Hoecke, of Wellsville, Kan., began at the opening height of 4.05m (13-3.5 ft.), where she cleared on her first attempt. Van Hoecke advanced to the following height at 4.20m (13-9.25 ft.), where she also cleared on her first jump.

Just one of 11 athletes remaining at 4.30m (14-1.25 ft.), Van Hoecke was unable to clear the height on her three attempts, placing her in a tie for eighth place.

The Jayhawks will conclude the NCAA Outdoor Championships on Sunday with Alexandra Emilianov in the women’s discus, which is set to compete at 4:35 p.m. CT on Saturday.