Courtesy photo
Hale's Bryant Wilson, competing at a 2007 outdoor meet, won his second straight NCAA Division 2 indoor pole vault title on Saturday.

MANKATO, Minn. - Hale alum Bryant Wilson, vaulting for Grand Valley State University, won his third consecutive NCAA DII national pole vault championship Saturday, March 15 at the NCAA Division 2 indoor track and field championships in Mankato, Minnesota. Wilson, the defending 2007 indoor and outdoor champion, won the 2008 indoor championship in a dramatic finish.

Four vaulters cleared the fourth height of 16'7” and then the bar was raised to the next height of 16-11. On his first attempt, Wilson missed that height, but two of the other competitors cleared it on their first attempt. Knowing that he would now be behind on misses and that to win he would have to clear the next height, Wilson passed on his two remaining tries at 16-11. This left him only two attempts at the next height of 17-3 while the remaining three competitors had three attempts at that height.

All four athletes missed their first attempts at 17-3, but Wilson cleared it with room to spare on his final chance and was the only one to make the height.

Two vaulters, Jake Williams (Missouri Southern) and Jordan Henry (Missouri Tech) tied for second place.

In his three indoor and two outdoor seasons of competition for GVSU, Wilson has earned five All-American awards and three national titles. He has also won four conference (GLIAC) championships and was selected as the MVP of the men's 2006-7 track team.

Video of winning jump (Requires Quicktime Video Player)