June 11, 2015
EUGENE, Ore. — Georgia Tech senior pole vaulter Samantha Becker’s career came to end Thursday on Day 2 of the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Making her career-first trip to the NCAA Championships, Becker competed in the finals of the women’s pole vault, but she was unable to leap over the opening height.
“We’re disappointed Sam wasn’t able to clear the opening height, but she has had a great season and ends her career on the biggest stage of our sport,” said Alan Drosky, Georgia Tech women’s track & field coach. “When you get to the NCAA Championships, the opening height is close to your personal-best height. Add in some pretty strong winds and it made for a challenging day for a lot of the vaulters.”
The Atlanta native was the 12th qualifier for the pole vault in the 2015 NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla. She qualified with a height of 4.18m (13-8.50) to punch her ticket to nationals.
She posted a personal-best of 4.21m at the 2015 ACC Outdoor Championships to earn first-team All-ACC honors with a third-place finish.
“Sam tried to make the necessary adjustments, but unfortunately she wasn’t able to get over the bar,” Drosky said. “Her last attempt was so close. She’s been a great competitor in our program. Going out as an All-ACC honoree and NCAA qualifier are huge accolades.”
Now, Becker will travel to India for a month to work on a project to explore the prospects of testing water quality through crowdsourcing in villages. Follow her journey through her blog.
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