BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University track & field junior pole vaulter J.T. Konrad has been named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, announced Monday by the conference office.
Konrad (Mead, WA/Mount Spokane) finished with a clearance of 4.87m (15-11 ¾) at the Seattle Pacific University Final Qualifier last Saturday to record an indoor personal-best mark and post an NCAA Division II provisional-qualifying height. He had previously recorded a provisional mark of 4.73m (15-6 ¼) at the UW Open on Feb. 11.
His effort on Saturday ranks No. 8 on the all-time GNAC indoor top-10 list as well as No. 5 on the all-time WWU indoor top-10 list. The mark is also tied for No. 27 nationally at the NCAA Division II level and ranks No. 3 among GNAC competitors during the current season.
Konrad placed 3rd of 4 competitors in the pole vault on Saturday. Prior to Saturday, Konrad’s previous indoor personal-best was 4.81m (15-9 ¼) set at the 2016 SPU Final Qualifier.
The weekly honor was the first for Konrad in his career and the first for a WWU track & field student-athlete in 2018.
The SPU Final Qualifier marked the last 2018 indoor meet for the Vikings prior to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, set for March 9-10 at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kansas. Official field announcements for the indoor championships will be made on Tuesday. The Vikings begin the outdoor season this weekend, traveling to the University of Puget Sound Ed Boitano Invitational on Saturday.
— @WWUTFXC —
