BLACKSBURG, Va. – Kelly Phillips has been named the ACC Women’s Co-Performer of the Week, following her school record-setting performance in the pole vault at this past weekend’s VT Elite Meet, which qualified her for the NCAA Championships.
Phillips had the event won already after she cleared 13-11.75 (4.26m) on her third and final attempt. This would have been a personal best and a new Virginia Tech record, beating the old mark of 13-7.75 (4.16m) set by Abby Schaffer in 2009. However, Phillips decided to raise the bar to the NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 14-1.25 (4.30m) and on her second attempt she cleared it, punching her ticket to the national meet. She is only the second women’s vaulter in the ACC to hit the qualifying mark this season, and only the seventh in the nation.
This will be Phillips’ first trip to the NCAA Championships since the 2008 outdoor season, where she earned All-Amercan status placing sixth in the finals. During the 2008 indoor season, she qualified for the national meet on the heels of an ACC Championship.
This is the first weekly honor given to a Hokie since Queen Harrison won her fourth weekly honor of the 2010 season on April 27. Phillips shares the honor with Duke’s Kate Van Buskirk, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in the mile run. The men’s honor went to Miami’s Devon Hill, who earned a new school record in the 60-meter hurdles.
The Hokies have a weekend off from competition before hosting the Virginia Tech Challenge on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18 and 19.
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