Hysong in the ABQ

[polevaultdad]

Two meets this weekend in the ABQ. The Albuquerque Invitational with BYU, SDSU, ASU, Houston and UNM.

The Albuquerque Invitational will feature 13 college teams with the host New Mexico Lobos taking on a field that includes the eighth-ranked Arizona State women, Mountain West Conference champion BYU women, Conference USA men's and women's champions from Houston and Big West men's champs Cal State Northridge. Two-time defending NCAA Division II men's champion Abilene Christian and the 2005 national runners-up from Adams State are also among the field.

Five nationally ranked athletes (Trackwire.com) are entered in Saturday's meet, including Lobo pole vaulter Derek Mackel (No. 6). The women's pole vault will feature No. 5 April Kubishta from Arizona State, along with the MWC's top two vaulters - Erin Asay of San Diego State and New Mexico's Whitney Johnson.

The men's pole vault (1 p.m.) will be the marquee event of Sunday's Green Chile All-Comers meet with 2000 Olympic gold medalist Nick Hysong headlining a field that includes four former NCAA All-Americans, two former national junior college champions and some of the top high school vaulters in the country. At the Sydney Olympics, Hysong cleared a lifetime best 19-04.50 to became the first American since Bob Seagren in 1968 to win Olympic gold in the pole vault.