To say that Chico State’s Kelly Gundert is rising to new heights may be a bit corny, but that’s exactly what the junior from San Luis Obispo is doing this season. Gundert and teammate Kasey Barnett have developed into the the program’s most potent pole vaulting tandem in many a year, and Saturday at the Wildcat Invitational Gundert’s best effort yet resulted in both an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark and Wildcat of the Week honors.
Gundert placed third at the Wildcat Invitational with a vault of 11-feet-06.50, good for her first NCAA Provisional mark and topping her previous best, set last May at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships, by three-and-a-half inches. The jump was also the fifth-highest by a women’s pole vaulter in Chico State history.
Gundert’s personal record in the pole vault ranks as the 11th-highest nationally and sixth-best among CCAA competitors so far in the2013 season.
The Chico State women’s track & field team will be in the Bay Area this week, taking part in Friday’s San Francisco State Distance Carnival and the two-day Stanford Invitational Friday and Saturday.
