KINGSVILLE, Texas — Cedarville University’s Tommy Ansiel is a national champion after winning the pole vault May 23 at the 2019 NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship.
The sophomore from Warrenville, Illinois cleared a school-record 17-feet 7.25-inches (5.37 meters) at Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University – Kingsville.
Ansiel becomes the second Yellow Jacket to be an NCAA men’s national champion. Xenia native Daniel Michalski won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2017 meet.
The victory completes a phenomenal 2019 spring campaign for Ansiel in which he posted the top five outdoor marks in school history.
His meet titles included the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, Ohio State Jesse Owens Classic, and the Azusa Pacific Invitational.
Ansiel was a U.S Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Second Team All-American as a freshman upon placing tenth at the 2018 championship.
Trenton Classen competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase prelims. He placed 17th in 9:43.52, but did not earn a spot in the final.
Central State’s Juan Scott is competing in the men’s 110-meter hurdles preliminaries on Friday night. Scott won the NCAA D-II national title in 2017.
