Biola Pole Vaulter Rice Cuts Back to Go Higher

When Jason Rice joined the Biola College track and field team in the spring of 1994, he didn’t think much of the Eagles’ pole vault record, 15 feet 6 inches by Jim Hagens in 1977.

Rice figured it wouldn’t take long before he had the record since he had vaulted 15-7 as a senior at Fallbrook High.

Once at Biola, however, Rice began concentrating on the decathlon. For two seasons, he trained for 10 events instead of only one and his pole vaulting suffered.

“I was stuck at around 15 feet,” said Rice, now a 6-foot-6, 175-pound junior. “I just couldn’t get any higher because I was so tight from training for so many events.”

This spring, Rice gave up the decathlon, went back to the vault and has seen quick results. Early this month, he went 16 feet at the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Invitational.

Rice credits Biola vaulting coach Tim Meledy for his improvement.

“He’s a vaulting specialist who coaches but also allows me to just vault,” Rice said. “He is not in my face after every jump. He just tells me what I’m doing and then lets me go.”

Rice, who barely missed 16-4 at Pomona, also says that an early-season switch to a heavier and stiffer pole has helped.

“It’s scary to use because it is a much bigger pole than I am used to,” he said. “But it’s really just a psychological thing. Once I really get used to it, I have even a heavier pole that I would love to use to go for 17 feet.”

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Triple jumper Jonathan Jordan of Cal State Los Angeles set a meet record with a leap of 52-10 3/4 in the Division II track and field indoor championships two weeks ago as he helped the Eagles to third place in the team race at Indianapolis.

Jordan was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 23-8 3/4 as Cal State L.A. finished with 36 points, behind Abilene Christian and St. Augustine’s of Raleigh, N.C.

Junior shotputter Tambi Wenj also set a meet record for the Eagles with a put of 60-11 1/2.

Wenj, who recorded the second-best outdoor mark in Division II history at 63-4 the first week of March, also finished fifth in the 35-pound weight throw with a 55-6 effort.

Senior Ray Banner was another winner for the Eagles, running the 55-meter hurdles in 7.38 seconds.

The Cal State L.A. women’s team finished sixth with 20 points, thanks largely to junior Petra Juraskova’s victory in the shotput at 49-8 1/4.