Jake Blankenship of Tennessee finished third in the pole vault at the NCAA track and field championships on Wednesday at Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene.The sophomore cleared a height of 18 feet, 2 1/2 inches.Sam Kendricks of Mississippi defended his title at 18-8.25. Shawn Barber of Akron was second at 18-6.5.UT senior Chase Brannon finished 19th by clearing 16-8¾.Blankenship competed in three meets in January — collecting two victories along the way — before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the indoor season. He missed the first month of the outdoor season before returning to action in late April at the Penn Relays. From there, he made up for lost time.He defended his title at the Penn Relays, won the Tennessee Challenge at Tom Black Track and was second at the SEC championships with a career-best 18-6.As a freshman, Blankenship was 15th at the outdoor meet and fourth at the indoor championship. more
