As little as an inch could make the difference for Ball State men's track senior Paul Panning this weekend at the Alex Wilson Invitational.
Panning, who will be the only representative from Ball State to participate in the meet, hopes to improve upon his 17-5 12 mark in the pole vault.
He set this mark at the Indiana Invitational in Bloomington Feb. 7, and it currently stands as a BSU indoor record.
The Alex Wilson Invitational is one of several of its kind around the nation designed to bring together athletes who have already qualified or are close to qualifying for the NCAA National Championships March 12.
"We're really only looking for him to improve upon his mark and get in the 17-5 or 17-6 range. If he did that, I'd be pretty happy," head coach Jermaine Jones said.
The meet will give athletes one more chance at improving their marks and also help keep them toned for competition just one week before the NCAA Championships.
Panning's current mark ranks him 16th in the nation, nearly guaranteeing him qualification for the NCAA Championships, but uncertainty lingers in whether he will qualify if there are other top performances around the nation.
"If I could just go maybe an inch higher, that would for sure give me a spot. If no one else goes above me, I'm still going," Panning said.
Most athletes in the nation are coming off their conference meets, a stressful situation that requires their best effort of the year and makes it difficult for them to regain their strength. This factor could either help or hurt Panning in his attempt to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Some athletes will be physically and emotionally drained from their conference meets, but this could also affect Panning.
He finished second at the Mid-American Conference Championships in the pole vault with a mark of 17-2 34, nearing the conclusion to his senior year season.
Panning was named to the 2003-04 Academic All-MAC Team, with a 3.42 cumulative grade point average in Management Information Systems. Teammate distance runner Aaron Hoover was also named to the team, with a 3.54 GPA in Management.
The Invitational is set to begin at 6 p.m. this Friday in the Loftus Sports Center at Notre Dame.
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