EUGENE, Oregon (UL Sports Information) –Louisville’s Gabriela Leon became the first women's outdoor national champion in program history with a first-team All-American height of 4.60m (15-1) in the pole vault on day two of the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field.
"I am speechless, this is a dream come true!" said Leon. "Having all the hard work and dedication pay off means the world to me. I am not the only one who deserves the applause. I want to thank God for being by my side through this process and giving me strength to show the world what he can do when you work hard and let him do the rest. I also want to thank Coach (Brooke) Rasnick, staff, teammates, fans, trainers, and family."
Leon became the fourth collegiate women's pole vaulter with three clearances of 4.60m (15-1) and the only this season with three marks over 4.57m (15-0). Earlier this season, the redshirt senior set Louisville's outdoor school record of 4.61m (15-1.5) which stands first in the ACC and second nationally. It also ranks as the second-best all-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault mark and eighth-best all-time outdoor performer mark in collegiate history. Leon also won her second straight ACC women's outdoor pole vault title and was named ACC Women's Field Performer of the Week three times this season.
"Tonight's women's pole vault competition was the perfect capstone to Gabriela Leon's collegiate career," added head coach Dale Cowper. "She has accomplished so much during the last five years and now we have the privilege of calling her a National Champion. This does not happen without the guidance of Coach Rasnick and the tireless effort of our support staff. I am truly thankful for everyone that helps our student-athletes compete at the highest level."
Bronze for Wiltrout
North Carolina grad student Madison Wiltrout placed third in the women's javelin Thursday evening. Her throw of 183-5 (56.46m) was good for the bronze medal, behind BYU's Ashton Riner (191-1) and Nebraska's Maddie Harris (189-3). Wiltrout, from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, earned first-team All-America honors by virtue of placing in the top eight in her event.
Other ACC highlights during the Thursday night women’s session included fourth-place finishes by Virginia Tech’s Sara Killinen (hammer), Virginia’s Maria Deaviz (shot put) and Virginia Tech’s Rachel Baxter (pole vault).
The action continues Friday with the conclusion of the men’s events, and women’s competition will wrap up the 2022 NCAA Championships on Saturday.
ESPN2 will provide Friday evening’s coverage of track events, with ESPN set to broadcast on Saturday. All field events can be seen via live stream on ESPN3.
Live results and the daily schedule of events may be found here:
https://flashresults.ncaa.com/Outdoor/2022/index.htm
For more information regarding the 2022 Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, including how to purchase tickets, log on to
Track & Field Champ Info | NCAA.com
For broadcast and livestream information, see:
http://theacc.co/NCAABroadcast