The ASU track and field team traveled to Walnut, Calif., with only a handful of athletes on Thursday and several profited from the trip.
Redshirt junior pole-vaulter Derick Hinch came away with the Sun Devils only victory in the Mt. SAC Relays.
“It was a tough meet,” Hinch said. “The winds were super inconsistent.”
In pole vaulting, even the slightest breeze could effect a jump.
“In my competition, there were eight jumpers that have jumped over 18 feet, and I was the only one to jump over 17 (in the meet),” Hinch said. “That shows how crappy the winds were.”
The redshirt junior’s leap of 5.25 meters (17-02.75) took the top spot in the men’s open ‘A’ section of the meet.
Hinch said the meet is another stepping stone in the right direction toward regionals.
“I feel great, and some big marks are going to come over the next few weeks,” Hinch said.
Fellow vaulter and redshirt junior Dylan Austin leapt to a second-place finish in the men’s "B" section.
Other than the pole-vaulters, coach Greg Kraft only sent distance runners for the meet.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Herson appreciated making the trip, as he ended up setting a personal best.
His time of 13:51.00 blew by his old personal best in the 5,000-meter run by 14 seconds. While he didn’t finish first, his fourth-place finish was well worth it.
The time should put him in the top 20 nationally barring other times from the weekend.
Reach the reporter at msterrel@asu.edu and follow him on Twitter at @ASUreporter_MT
