By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Elijah Jones (So., Salem, OR/Central HS) of the Willamette University men's track and field team set a school record by clearing 16' 0.50" in the pole vault, as he took second place during the L&C Portland Distance Carnival on Friday, May 10.

Jones successfully went over the bar on his second attempt at 16' 0.50", as he broke Willamette's previous mark of 15' 11.50" by Allen Heinly in 1995. Jones also went past his previous personal record of 15' 6", set last season.

Levi Gibson from George Fox University also cleared 16' 0.50" on Friday. He succeeded on his first attempt at that height and took first place on fewer jumps.

Jones is now tied for 16th in the nation on the NCAA Division III performance list and has a good chance to qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The NCAA Championships will be held on May 23-25 at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

All of the field events in the Distance Carnival were held at Linfield University on Friday, with the track events set for Saturday, May 11 at Eldon Fix Track on the Lewis & Clark College campus. Action is scheduled to begin on the track at 3:45 p.m. PDT.

Also for Willamette on Friday, Kaleb McArthur took third place in the men's long jump with a mark of 22' 1.75". He has consistently jumped over 22 feet in recent weeks, including his career best of 23' 2.75" set at the OSU High Performance on April 26, 2024.