GENEVA, Ohio -- A year ago as a sophomore, Eastern Connecticut State University's Natasha Frisch (Mendota Heights, MN) missed qualifying for the NCAA Division III Track & Field National Championships in the pole vault by less than two inches. This year, she qualified at the New England Division III Championships two weeks ago, and on the opening day of this year's national championships Thursday afternoon, she made the most of it with a 16th-place finish in a field of 22 which accorded her second-team  USTFCCCA All-America recognition.

Due to blustery and rainy conditions on Thursday, NCAA officials chose, that morning, to move the pole vault (as well as the high jump) -- scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. -- from outside to inside the SPIRE field house, which was met with approval by Frisch (and likely the other 21 competitors, as well).

Seeded seventh, Frisch cleared  the first height (11 feet, 9 3/4 inches) on her third and final try, then solidified All-America honors by clearing the second height (12 feet, 3 1/2 inches) again on her third and final attempt before failing on all three of her attempts at the third height (12-feet, 7 1/2 inches) which included a "near-miss" on her second try. Frisch proceeded at the second and third heights after sustaining a bloody nose and bruised left forearm after having the bar land on her after a missed attempt at the first height.

First-year long-jumper Givanni Perry (Hartford), attempting to become the program's first freshman All-America in 42 years, finished 20th in a field of 22. As the No. 2 seed only behind top seeded Kennedy Kirkland (who finished 15th), Perry was the second jumper in the second flight which got underway at 5:30 p.m. Thursday under cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 50s, but no rain. Perry improved her first jump by two-and-a-half feet to record her best mark of the afternoon (17-8 1/4) -- less than an inch shy of her third-place jump at the New England Open May 10 which was her second-best of the season.

As it turned out, Frisch's ability to clear 12-3  1/2 on her third and final attempt ultimately gave her the 16th and final All-America spot (the first eight finishers were named first-team All-America and the 9-16 finishers were accorded second-team accolades), as the  17-22 finishers all failed on each of their attempts at that height after clearing 11-9 3/4.  She becomes the 16th All-America in the history of the Eastern men's and women's program and the first female to gain the honor since future Olympian Bonnie Edmondson placed fourth in the discus in the 1987 outdoor nationals at Naperville, IL (only the top six finishers were named All-America at that time). Frisch was one of only two of the 22 competitors to clear the initial height of 11-9 3/4 on her final try.

In the pole vault, top-seeded senior Yasmine Ruff of Washington University (MO) repeated as the national champion with a mark of 13-3 1/2 achieved on her first try in the sixth round of jumps. Tenth-seeded Aryanna Paulena of Goucher College, the only freshman in the field, was second to Ruff  with a mark of 13-1 1/2.

While 2024 national champion Rainah Dunham of Ursinus College had graduated after posting a winning mark of 19-7 1/2, seven of last year's top nine finishers in the long jump returned this year, The top nine finishers in the preliminary round advanced to the finals, with fourth-seeded senior Emma Seipel of Loras College, fifth a year ago, winning with a mark of 20-2 1/4 (the only competitor to reach 20 feet) achieved on her first jump. Third-seeded Aurielle Brunner of Chatham University, ninth a year ago, was second (19-11). Annabelle Lanik from Trinity University (TX) -- one of four freshmen qualifiers along with Perry -- was the top freshman finisher. Seeded eighth, Lanik (19-8) finished third. Including Perry, four individuals from New England competed, with fifth -seeded freshman Elysse Cumberland of  Tufts University topping the list with a fifth-place finish of 19-0 3/4.