By Sierra Webster
Arizona State sophomore Matthew Eckles came into the finals of the men’s pole vault Pac-12 championships Saturday at Hayward Field not expecting to take the title.
Even when he was leading with a jump of 16 feet, 7.5 inches, Eckles figured he was a probable second-place finisher behind Oregon’s Cole Walsh. He waited for Walsh, the favorite, to cinch the title at 16-11.5.
But, as Walsh was failing to clear the height three times, Eckles realized the title could be his.
“I’ve known Cole Walsh for a really long time. He’s an incredible guy,” Eckles said. “I know he’s worked so hard and he’s a great jumper, but then also it’s like, ‘Oh my God! I could get first place.’”
With Walsh’s final miss, Eckles secured the Pac-12 title.
“I just don’t have any words for it. I didn’t see it coming at all,” he said. “I just went out there and jumped some bars. Sent it. Did what I do.”
Before the event, Eckles expected his teammate senior Garrett Starkey to take the title, while Walsh, having just come off a win at the Oregon Twilight Meet, was also hoping to snag the title.
Eckles, after clearing 16-7.5 along with Walsh, secured a spot in the top two. Starkey had failed to clear 16-3.5, landing him in sixth place. The third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers passed 16-7.5 but were unable to clear 16-9.5.
Hoping to conserve energy, Walsh passed 16-9.5 in the hopes of easily clearing 16-11.5, which is 5.17 meters.
“A five-centimeter jump would’ve been a waste of energy,” said Walsh. “I knew that I could make 5.17 at full health, but that didn’t work.”
Walsh sat out the first five heights before coming in to clear 16-7.5in two attempts, the only height he cleared.
After the event, Walsh said that his calves were tight, affecting his approach speed and power. He said, “I think that it had a lot to do with me waiting so long to come in.“
While waiting for the first heights, Walsh got cold and was unable to warm up again.
Meanwhile, Eckles came in low at 15-5.75, clearing all but 16-5.5 (which he passed) on the first attempt.
Starting with low heights is a part of Eckles’ strategy. He said it’s his form, not conditioning, that holds him back and that those early, low jumps help him get settled and adjusted before the more challenging heights.
