LITTLE ROCK — When Arkansas track and field assistant Doug Case first saw Andrew Irwin pole vault, one thought popped into his mind.
“This guy is going to be a national champion, and more than once,” Case said.
Little did Case know how quickly that would happen. Irwin, a freshman from Mount Ida, won the NCAA Indoor national championship this past season, and now his sights are set on this summer’s London Olympics.
Irwin, 19, has the second best qualifying mark - along with four others, including former Arkansas standout Jeremy Scott - going into the U.S. Olympic trials, which begin today at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Irwin already has an Olympic “A” standard vault of 18 feet, 9 1/4 inches, so a top-three finish in the final Thursday will send Irwin to London. The qualifying round for pole vault will be Monday.
“It is definitely something I have to keep in mind,” Irwin said. “I know if I go out and do my thing and rank high enough, I can actually go and compete. A year ago, I did not expect to be doing it this early.”
That’s not to say he didn’t expect such success. Irwin was a high school star, twice winning the Arkansas Meet of Champs and setting state records each time.
Case called Irwin the best high school pole vaulter he has seen. In his first meet at Arkansas, Irwin cleared 18 feet for the first time. He cleared 18-2 1/2 to win the NCAA Indoor national title.
“I’ve had an outstanding season that was unexpected,”Irwin said. “I didn’t figure to be jumping this high and winning some of the things I did. I knew I had something working, so I just tried to keep recreating it and building on it.”
Case said he likes Irwin’s chances in Eugene even in a fickle event such as the pole vault. Irwin learned firsthand how fickle his sport can be when he missed qualifying for the NCAA Outdoors after failing to clear 17-6 1/2 at the NCAA West Preliminary meet.
Irwin was coming off his 18-9 1/4 vault that won him the SEC title. The failure in the preliminary meet forced Irwin to stay home while his teammates competed at nationals.
“It definitely is motivation,” Irwin said. “Sitting at home and watching nationals on the computer, it really set in that I’ve got to go back out and regain myself.
“I do have that drive.”
Irwin said missing the NCAA Outdoors didn’t damage his confidence because he realized he just had an off meet on the wrong day. Case said it was the first time Irwin didn’t deliver in a big meet, although Case - like almost every major college track and field coach - doesn’t consider the outdoor preliminary meet anything other than a waste of time.
“He was upset, but he didn’t blame it on anybody or say it was the wind or the meet was stupid,” Case said. “Pole vault is a fickle beast if you lack confidence.
“He’s the best big-game pole vaulter I’ve seen in a long time.”
Irwin isn’t dwelling on his poor performance, just as he isn’t obsessing about a possible Olympic berth. Case said Irwin shows remarkable poise for a young athlete and never seems to think about anything other than the process of vaulting.
“I broke the American junior record at SEC by jumping 18-9 1/4, and then the very next meet I can’t make 17-5,” Irwin said. “It just works out that way some days. You just have to take them in stride.
“It was tough, just because of what the meet actually meant. At the same time, you have to just look at it and say, ‘What do I have coming up next?’ ”Arkansans at the trials
Athletes with ties to the state of Arkansas who are competing in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials being held through July 1 in Eugene, Ore.
MEN
Tyson Gay (Arkansas) .............................................100 meters Wallace Spearmon (Arkansas) ........................................... 200 Antwon Hicks (Hot Springs) ................................. 110 hurdles Dorian Ulrey (Arkansas) .................................................. 1,500 Duncan Phillips (Arkansas) ............................................. 1,500 Caleb Cross (Arkansas) ......................................... 400 hurdles Andrew Irwin (Arkansas) ...........................................Pole vault Jeremy Scott (Arkansas) ...........................................Pole vault Mychael Stewart (Arkansas) ...................................Long jump Nkosinza Balumbu (Arkansas) ............................... Triple jump Kevin Lazas (Arkansas) ............................................ Decathlon Gunnar Nixon (Arkansas) ......................................... Decathlon LaShawn Butler (Arkansas) ................................................ 200 James Strang (Arkansas) .............................................. 10,000
WOMEN
LaShaunte’a Moore (Arkansas) ..................................100, 200 Jessica Cousins (Arkansas) ............................................... 400 Shelise Williams (Arkansas) ............................................... 400 Stephanie Brown (Arkansas) .............................................. 800 April Steiner Bennett (Arkansas) ...............................Pole vault Katie Stripling (Arkansas) ..........................................Pole vault Brittany Hyter (Arkansas) ....................................4000 hurdles Christin Wurth (Arkansas) ............................................... 1,500
Sports, Pages 17 on 06/22/2012