By Al Stover
sports editor

Pole vaulter Keisa Monterola charges and plants the pole in the box, launching herself in the air. She throws her body over the bar before descending down to the pad as the crowd roars throughout the arena.

Monterola, a transfer student from Clackamas Community College (CCC), placed fifth at the 2011 Pan American Games with a mark of 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 24. She will be looking to break Eastern’s pole vaulting record and qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

Monterola represented EWU and her home country of Venezuela in the games.

While her 14-1 ¼ mark is less than a foot better than the Eastern pole vaulting record of 13-2 ¼, it does not count because she was not competing in an NCAA sanctioned event, according to Eastern’s athletic website.

see more at:

http://sites.ewu.edu/easterneronline/2011/11/09/eastern-pole-vaulter-chases-olympic-dream/