For the second time in Biola’s history, the women’s track and field team placed first in the outdoor Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) championships with the help of women’s pole vault. Biola’s pole vault event blew away the competition last month taking the top two finishes in both men’s and women’s at the outdoor GSAC championship meet on April 26-27, 2014. When head coach Jonathan Zimmerman arrived at Biola in 2007, the track and field team consisted of 12 athletes competing in only a few events. Seven years later, the track and field team has grown by approximately 600 percent to include more than 70 athletes competing in almost every event, including the pole vault, which has garnered six All-Americans and multiple GSAC champions in the last six years. “We were expecting to score big in both the men and women’s vault as we have a bit of a ‘pole vault factory’ going here with great folks collaborating together,” said Zimmerman. “Everyone is looking out for each other and putting in their observations.” In the coming years it is the vision of pole vault coach, T.J. Ellis, and Zimmerman to create a “pole vaulting mecca” at Biola, which would include updating equipment, increasing the number of pole vaulters at Biola and holding pole vault camps for young athletes in the area. In 2007, the track team had only one male pole vaulter. Biola is now just one of two schools in Golden State Athletic Conference to have more than seven athletes competing in the pole vault. The track and field team started the 2013-2014 school year with 10 pole vault athletes. more
