RUDY WINS NATIONAL POLE VAULT TITLE #2
3/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
“I’m a little tired and have a cold, but I feel great,” Rudy said. “I am so excited that I won clean this time—no jump-off. I wanted to win by clearing a higher mark, but I’m happy with a clean win. I’m glad we didn’t have a jump off because my wrists were starting to hurt,” Rudy added.
Rudy led the event from the beginning as she had only one miss during the competition. As vaulters continue to the next height, they are ranked by number of misses. Kubishta missed at any early height and was playing catch-up all evening. Rudy cleared 14’1.25” on her first attempt. The bar was then moved to 14’3.5”, a height that neither Rudy or Kubishta could clear.
“Pretty much every height is a big deal,” MSU pole vault coach Tom Eitel said. “You have to be clean as much as possible and the Arizona State girl had a lot of misses. Ellie only missed once so she was never behind.”
The height is the same mark Rudy hit for the championships in 2007. Last year, Rudy won by virtue of a jump-off as well as two other vaulters hit the 14’1.25” mark as well-- Florida's Natalie Moser and Kate Sultanova of Kansas.
“It’s just terrific for her and for Montana State,” head MSU coach Dale Kennedy said. “I can’t think of a better representative of our program and our university. She has that great smile on all the time—the officials love her, even her competitors, I think, love her too.”
Rudy now shares an MSU distinction with distance runner Shannon Butler as a two-time NCAA champion, and is also the only female MSU athlete to win an NCAA championship. She also joins former Bobcat Shannon Agee Jones as the only female two-time All Americans.
Rudy will redshirt the outdoor season to prepare for a shot at the Olympic team this summer. She still has both an indoor and outdoor season left after 2008 so Rudy will return in 2009 to attempt to become MSU’s first three-time NCAA champion.
BOBCAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2008 – Ellie Rudy, pole vault (indoor)
2007 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault (indoor)
1991 - Shannon Butler, 5000 (outdoor)
1990 - Shannon Butler, 10,000 (outdoor)
BOBCAT WOMEN ALL-AMERICAS
2008 – Ellie Rudy, pole vault
2007 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault
2006 - Erin Jones-Graf, heptathlon
2006 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault (outdoor)
2002 - Shannon Agee Jones, pole vault (indoor)
2001 - Shannon Agee, pole vault (outdoor)
1998 - Christy Otte, 400 (indoor)
1993 - Jen Bayliss, 3000 (indoor)
1983 - Janet Buntin, long jump (indoor)
BIG SKY CONFERENCE INDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2007 - Ellie Rudy, MSU, pole vault
2006 - Johanna Nilsson, NAU, mile and 3000
2005 - Ida Nilsson, NAU, 5000
2003 - Johanna Nilsson, NAU, mile
2001 - Charles Clinger, WSU, high jump
1993 - David Morris, UM, 3000
1991 - Eugene Green, BSU, triple jump
1989 - Paula John, WSU, high jump
Rudy led the event from the beginning as she had only one miss during the competition. As vaulters continue to the next height, they are ranked by number of misses. Kubishta missed at any early height and was playing catch-up all evening. Rudy cleared 14’1.25” on her first attempt. The bar was then moved to 14’3.5”, a height that neither Rudy or Kubishta could clear.
“Pretty much every height is a big deal,” MSU pole vault coach Tom Eitel said. “You have to be clean as much as possible and the Arizona State girl had a lot of misses. Ellie only missed once so she was never behind.”
The height is the same mark Rudy hit for the championships in 2007. Last year, Rudy won by virtue of a jump-off as well as two other vaulters hit the 14’1.25” mark as well-- Florida's Natalie Moser and Kate Sultanova of Kansas.
“It’s just terrific for her and for Montana State,” head MSU coach Dale Kennedy said. “I can’t think of a better representative of our program and our university. She has that great smile on all the time—the officials love her, even her competitors, I think, love her too.”
Rudy now shares an MSU distinction with distance runner Shannon Butler as a two-time NCAA champion, and is also the only female MSU athlete to win an NCAA championship. She also joins former Bobcat Shannon Agee Jones as the only female two-time All Americans.
Rudy will redshirt the outdoor season to prepare for a shot at the Olympic team this summer. She still has both an indoor and outdoor season left after 2008 so Rudy will return in 2009 to attempt to become MSU’s first three-time NCAA champion.
BOBCAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2008 – Ellie Rudy, pole vault (indoor)
2007 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault (indoor)
1991 - Shannon Butler, 5000 (outdoor)
1990 - Shannon Butler, 10,000 (outdoor)
BOBCAT WOMEN ALL-AMERICAS
2008 – Ellie Rudy, pole vault
2007 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault
2006 - Erin Jones-Graf, heptathlon
2006 - Ellie Rudy, pole vault (outdoor)
2002 - Shannon Agee Jones, pole vault (indoor)
2001 - Shannon Agee, pole vault (outdoor)
1998 - Christy Otte, 400 (indoor)
1993 - Jen Bayliss, 3000 (indoor)
1983 - Janet Buntin, long jump (indoor)
BIG SKY CONFERENCE INDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2007 - Ellie Rudy, MSU, pole vault
2006 - Johanna Nilsson, NAU, mile and 3000
2005 - Ida Nilsson, NAU, 5000
2003 - Johanna Nilsson, NAU, mile
2001 - Charles Clinger, WSU, high jump
1993 - David Morris, UM, 3000
1991 - Eugene Green, BSU, triple jump
1989 - Paula John, WSU, high jump
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