Sam Kendricks’ 2014 season in pole vault only got better Sunday as he won his first USA Track & Field Championships Sunday in Sacramento, Calif.
The Ole Miss standout and former Oxford High Charger won the event with a leap of 18 feet, 10.25 inches, his best mark of the outdoor season. Kendricks has now won the SEC, NCAA and USA Outdoor championships.
“I’m ecstatic right now,” Kendricks told reporters after his win. “This is such an awesome experience. After the NCAA championship, I just wanted to come out here and jump and to be with these guys I’ve looked up to, it’s incredible.”
“Sam being the U.S. champion is a great way to complete a fantastic season,” Ole Miss coach Brian O’Neal said. “He always competes his heart out for the Rebs, and for him to rattle off this string of wins at SECs, NCAAs and the U.S. Championships is an impressive addition to an already outstanding career. It’s a fulfillment of all the hours of hard work that he’s put in this entire year.”
The only time Kendricks didn’t win a vault competition was when he finished second at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“Sam epitomizes what it means to be an Ole Miss student-athlete,” O’Neal added. “He’s a first-class person who works hard day in and day out at his craft to be the best he can possibly be, and he’s a leader both on and off the track.”
This was the second USA title for the Ole Miss family this weekend, as former Rebel Brittney Reese claimed gold in the women’s long jump on Saturday. Other Rebels who competed were Ricky Robertson in the high jump (8th place) and Isiah Young in both the 100 meters (prelims) and 200 meters (semifinals).
