Spring 1998

Loftus wins second straight NCAA pole vault title

Senior Ryan Loftus won his second straight NCAA Division III national championship in the indoor pole vault, claiming the title at the NCAA III Indoor Track & Field Championships at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.

Loftus who entered this year’s competition with just the 11th best vault in the nation, won the 1998 title by clearing a height of 16’ 0 3/4”. The chemical engineering major cleared that height on his first jump, while no other competitor could vault better than 15’ 9”.

The three-time NCAA III All-American did not approach his 1997 winning height of 16’ 8”, which is also the school record. But he did establish a season-best with his winning height of 16’ 0 3/4”, topping his previous season-best of 15’ 7”. After clinching the title, he missed on three attempts with the bar at 16’ 9” — which would have broken his school record.

Loftus captured the fifth NCAA track title in the school’s history, joining three-time national javelin champion Chris Trapp (1984-86) as a multiple winner.

Sophomore Phil Reksel captured ninth in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA III Indoor Championships, posting a time of 50.04 in the event. The result was a disappointing one for Reksel who entered the NCAA III Championships with the nation’s fastest time — 48.91. The sophomore did establish the school indoor record in the event this season.