Riddle Breaks AAC Pole Vault Record in Birmingham

Sunday, February 5

Birmingham, Ala.

TBA

University of Memphis

South Alabama Invitational

Feb 05, 2023 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Memphis Track & Field collected six individual wins and graduate student Cole Riddle broke the American Athletic Conference (AAC) pole vault record at the South Alabama Jaguar Invitational inside the Birmingham Crossplex on Sunday afternoon.

"I'm really pumped with what Cole [Riddle] is doing," head coach Kevin Robinson said. "That kid is blowing up. Amber [Simpson] finally caught one and solidified herself as the No. 2 performer in Memphis history in the weight throw and Will [Dibo] and Sascha [Salesius Schmidt] also did well today. Jada [Shanklin] is starting to step up in the high jump and Drew [O'Connor] finally got on the board in the vault. Simone [Harper] did a very solid job in the sprints, and Gabrielle [Cross] had a solid 400-meter opener."

NOTABLES
• Cole Riddle cleared 5.64 meters (18'6") in the men's pole vault to pick up the win and break not only the program record for the third-consecutive week, but the AAC all-time performance record as well. Riddle continues to lead the conference and improved his mark to No. 5 in the NCAA.
• Amber Simpson launched a 20.81-meter (68'3.25") throw to win the women's weight throw and move to No. 2 all-time in the event at Memphis. Her mark is second-best in the conference this season and ranks 23^rd nationally.
• In the women's high jump, Jada Shanklin jumped a personal-best 1.74 meters (5'8.5") to win the event. Her mark ranks eighth in the AAC this season.
• The Tigers placed three individuals inside the top five in the men's shot put, including meet winner Will Dibo (17.17m / 56'4"), runner up Sascha Salesius Schmidt (16.80m / 55'1.5") and Ryan Amador (15.67m / 51'5"), who finished fifth. Dibo's mark ranks third in the AAC to lead the group.
• Simone Harper had a pair of personal-best performances, winning the women's 60-meter hurdles (8.55) and finishing seventh in the 60-meter dash (7.63). Her hurdle time is ninth-fastest in the AAC.
• Conference-leader Alyssa Morello won the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.05 meters (13'3.5") and Monica Aldrighetti finished as runner up (3.95m / 12'11.5).
• Chloe Figgins turned in a runner-up finish in the women's 3,000 meters with a personal-best time of 9:47.92. Jalyssa Smith also ran a personal-best (10:18.20) and finished 11^th.
• Dylan Bodrighini finished fourth in men's long jump (7.02m / 23'0.5") and Poorna Roarane finished fourth in women's shot put (14.56m / 47'9.25").
• In the women's 400 meters, Gabrielle Cross ran 56.58 to finish sixth.
• Three men finished inside the top seven in the 3,000-meter race. Vincent Chenier (8:26.29), Payton Gleason (8:29.60) and Tate Wyatt (8:29.81) finished fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

UP NEXT
• The Tiger throwers will head back to Birmingham, Ala., next weekend on Friday Feb. 10 and Saturday Feb 11 and the rest of the team will head to Nashville for the Music City Challenge.

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Track & Field, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.