It took less than one season for Kelly Gundert to etch her name in the Chico State women’s track and field record books. In just her sixth meet as a Wildcat, the sophomore pole vaulter from San Luis Obispo delivered her finest effort to date at last weekend’s American River Invitational, posting the second-best mark by a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) vaulter this season and cracking the ’Cats all-time top 10 list in the process. Gundert’s vertical virtuosity was more than enough to earn Wildcat of the Week honors.
Gundert won the American River Invitational in Sacramento with a vault of 11-feet-2.25 (3.41 meters), placing her eighth on Chico State’s career top 10 list in the event. While continuing to work her way towards a possible NCAA provisional bid, Gundert has steadily raised the bar each week since making her Wildcat debut at last February’s California-Oregon Border Battle. She was amazingly consistent in her five March meets, turning in vaults of at least 3.35 meters in each.
The Chico State women’s track and field team returns to action this weekend, taking part in both the San Francisco Distance Carnival on Friday, and the Stanford Invitational Friday and Saturday in Palo Alto.
