By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State pole vaulter Ryan Stanley earned MIAA Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors on Tuesday (Apr. 18). The Bennington, Kan. native matched the best mark in NCAA Division II so far this outdoor season at the Pacific Coast Invitational in Long Beach, California this past week.
In the process of matching the nation’s top mark posted by Matteo Madrassi of Cal Poly Pomona two weeks prior, Stanley also broke his own FHSU outdoor record of 17 feet, 3.5 inches by another 3.5 inches. Stanley had just set the record on April 8, topping the 17 feet, 3 inches posted by teammate Jacob Clark in the outdoor season of 2022.
Stanley finished third overall and was the top Division II performer in a field of over 40 competitors at the Pacific Coast Invitational, mainly from NCAA Division I schools. He finished only behind Hunter Garretson of Akron, who has the fourth-best effort in NCAA Division I this season, and Zach McWhorter who was competing unattached. Two days later, he had another performance of over 17 feet, clearing 17 feet, 0.75 inches at the Brian Clay Invitational.