Jennie Sewell Article

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http://www.itemonline.com/articles/2004 ... orts01.txt

Barfield: SHSU pole vaulter makes most of gift from Mother Nature

By Jason Barfield/Assistant Sports Editor

AUSTIN - The old saying goes, "behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining." For Sam Houston State pole vaulter Jennie Sewell, that statement was never more true than this past weekend at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

With the rain pouring in her face Wednesday afternoon, Sewell was less than 15 minutes from going home from the biggest meet of her college career without ever clearing the bar.

Sewell missed on her first two tries at 12 feet, 3 1/2 inches when the rain really started coming down. Then a bolt of lightning sent athletes and fans running for cover.

Originally, officials decided to bring all the pole vaulters back at 9 p.m. that night to finish the preliminary round. But after Mother Nature continued to beat down on Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the University of Texas campus, meet organizers decided to wipe out everything that happened Wednesday and have all 28 athletes back Friday evening for the finals.

Just like that, Sewell was given a second chance.

Instead of making the drive back to Huntsville on Wednesday evening wondering what happened, Sewell now found herself with new life - one she refused to waste.

"If I would have come back and jumped Wednesday night, there is no way I would have made it," Sewell said as she prepared for Friday's finals. "For some reason I just didn't have it."

Friday, under much a clearer sky, Sewell made maybe the most important jump of her two-year career at SHSU. The sophomore stepped on the runway, and calmly cleared 12-3 1/2 like it was no problem. It was nowhere near her school record or personal best, but it gave her the feeling of confidence that she belonged with the 28 best pole vaulters in the nation.

Nearly 40 minutes later, and the mark to beat six inches higher, Sewell once again a stepped up and cleared on her first try.

Once again, the jump wasn't a school record or personal best, but for Sewell, it was one of her biggest jumps. When she hit the mat, she jumped up, clapped her hands and ran back with a huge smile on her face. With that jump, she guaranteed that no matter what happened the rest of the night, she was going to finish as one of the top 20 women's pole vaulters in the nation. Not bad for a lightly recruited girl from Rockwall.

It also meant she was going to get the full national championship experience. Wednesday, only a handful of fans peppered the stands and braved the weather to watch the three events that were going on. But Friday night's finals were played out in front of thousands of fans who cheered every vault.

As Sewell was preparing for her first jump, the crowd cheered the men's discus champion, Hannes Hopley of SMU.

In between her first and second jumps, Sewell sat on the edge of the track and watched as the LSU women's team ran the third-fastest sprint relay in NCAA history. Minutes later, Florida won the men's sprint relay in a tight race, edging Arizona State, Florida State and TCU for the title.

"That was really neat," Sewell said after her competition ended Friday. "In between jumps, I was trying to stay focused, but it was exciting to watch the relays, especially the men with the real close finish. "This was just really fun tonight. It was cool to see up close all the motivation those guys had," she said.

Her night ended about two hours after the competition began. The 28th athlete selected to compete in the pole vault finished 15th in the nation. Before heading to Austin, Sewell said just because she was the last athlete selected, didn't mean she had to finish last. After a rocky start, she made good on her expectation.

Of the 28 athletes who competed in Friday night's pole vault finals, few gained more by the opportunity created by Mother Nature. Minutes from going home with no score and nothing but questions, Sewell now enters the offseason knowing she can compete on the highest level the NCAA has to offer.

"This really isn't soaking in yet," a still beaming Sewell said as she sat and watched the remaining vaulters jump. "I guess when someone comes up to me and says 'Oh, Jennie, you finished in the top 15 in the nation,' I will think 'Wow, this was pretty cool.'"