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Weather forces postponement of Region 7 track meet
Jordan Christiansen
He's got every pole vault record at his school. The other region competitors look up to him. Now, Mountain View senior Bobby Kittel is a state record holder.
After years training in his backyard pole vault pit, Kittel vaulted to a record 16 feet, 1 inch, smashing the old Region 7 mark by a foot and claiming the highest overall 4A state outdoor mark.
Mountain View coach Mike Hunter describes Kittel, his dad and his brother as being "totally nuts" about pole vault. In front of his family, friends and coaches at Mountain View on Tuesday, Kittel did what he always knew he could, achieving the record on his third and final try.
"It's one thing to say you're going to do something, but then to go out and do it," Hunter said of Kittel's feat. "He's pretty dedicated to what he does and a hard worker. It's nice when good things happen to someone who deserves it."
According to Kittel's research on the Internet, Kittel's jump is 11th best in the country this year.
As for the rest of the Region 7 Outdoor Track Championships on Wednesday at Timpview High in Provo, the term "heat" was strictly a technical term. A thunderstorm postponed the majority of the events scheduled for the first day of the meet, as only two events -- the 1,600-meter girls and 3,200m boys runs, were completed.
Orem High's Krystal Harper took first in the 1,600m, coming in three seconds faster than teammate Kendy Christensen at 5:14.62. A pair of Mountain View Bruins followed, as Jennica Redd and Sarah Yingling. The top five runners in each event qualify for the 4A state meet, meaning Springville's Stephanie Christensen will get to run again with the two Tigers and two Bruins later this month.
As for the boys, Jonathan Nelson of Timpview had the fastest time in the 3,200m with a time of 9:35.63. Nelson was in the front pack most of the way, pushing ahead late to come out on top. Rounding out the top five were Spencer Gardner of Springville, Travis Fuller of Mountain View, Darren Ott of Orem and Krys Gardner of Timpview.
"I was a little bit unnerved about leading," Nelson said. "Going down the straightaway, I decided I'd give it one final attempt and it worked out all right. It was a good time."
Both winners didn't seem too put out by the bad weather, instead insisting they enjoyed the cloud cover.
"I liked the weather a lot," Harper said. "I love when it's bad weather."
Nelson added: "I really liked today. It wasn't too hot, so things worked out well."
Sunnier skies are slated for the remainder of the meet today, set to begin at 2:30 p.m. at Timpview.
Wednesday's results
(Top 5 in each event go to state)
Girls 1,600-meter finals
1. Krystal Harper, Orem, 5:14.62
2. Kendy Christensen, Orem, 5:17.62
3. Jennica Redd, Mt. View, 5:18.74
4. Sarah Yingling, Mt. View, 5:19.19
5. Stephanie Christensen, Springville, 5:26.80
Boys 3,200-meter finals
1. Jonathan Nelson, Timpview, 9:35.63
2. Spencer Gardner, Springville, 9:38.24
3. Travis Fuller, Mt. View, 9:41.00
4. Darren Ott, Orem, 9:51.43
5. Krys Gardner, Timpview, 9:54.25
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