WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State senior Ashley Craig (Westford Academy/Groton, Mass.) placed fifth in the nation in the women's pole vault at the NCAA Division III national championship meet at Harring Stadium in La Crosse, Wisc. On Thursday.

Craig finished with a top height of 3.75 meters (12'-3.5"). By virtue of finishing in the top eight at the NCAA meet, Craig will be awarded All-America honors from the US Collegiate Track and Field Coaches Association.

"I'm so excited and pumped," said Craig. "I usually do well with the good weather, and I wanted to try to have fun even though there was a little more pressure being seeded higher than I was indoors," said Craig.

She entered the competition at 3.50 meters, and cleared the bar on her first attempt, and cleared on her first attempt at 3.65 as well. Craig missed her first two attempts at 3.75, clearing on her third and final try at the height.

"Once I started jumping I got into a normal routing and having fun hanging out with the other vaulters," said Craig. "I had to wait a while after my first and second attempt for the third bar because of the number of competitors still in the competition. I ended up going up one pole to a stiffer and taller pole, because of the heat, the adrenaline, everything. As I got ready for the third attempt [at 3.75 meters] I thought, this is either going to be my last collegiate jump ever, or my best ever. Halfway down the runway I decided it wouldn't be my last jump."

"After that attempt, the official said there were eight people left in the competition and it was the best moment of my life because I knew I would be on the podium. I moved up another pole to an even stiffer one, which is a little intimidating to use a pole you haven't before, but I gave it my best shot."

Craig missed on three attempts at 3.80 meters (12'-5.5") to be eliminated from the competition.

Ohio Northern University's Madison Reed won the competition with a top clearance of 3.95 meters (12'-11.5").

Craig completes a fine career at Westfield State which included a 10th-place in the nation finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships earlier this year. Craig won four straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference outdoor pole vault titles, and won the indoor championship in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

She set and increased the Owls women's pole vault record on numerous occasions in her career, most recently at the NEICCA Championship meet at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where she cleared 3.90 meters (12'-9").

"All four years I was building on the one before," said Craig. "My freshman year I was close to qualifying, but I didn't know what I was capable of. I wasn't as intent or focused as I am now."

"My sophomore year I was so frustrated because I wasn't setting PR's, and my junior year I was dealing with an injury and only used half an approach," Craig added. "I had surgery after the year, and I realized because I had been so frustrated I had forgotten why I loved the sport. I decided to love what I do, and to have fun and enjoy meets and practices. I turned my life into making this year a good year for me, and paid attention to what I eat, how I stretch, roll out, practice more, and made sure there wasn't anything I didn't do that could say I gave it everything I had, and it all came together."

In other action on Thursday, Westfield's Jessie Cardin (Sutton, Mass.) qualified for the finals of the 3000 steeplechase by placing third in her qualifying heat with a time of 10:49.86. The top five runners from each heat, plus the next four fastest times advance to Sunday's 14-competitor final.

"Jessie ran her race," said O'Brien. "She let them do the work, and she knew what place she was in, so it worked out pretty well for her. She has some good competition, and it's going to be even hotter tomorrow but it shouldn't phase her. I'll be excited to watch her race."

Westfield State junior Lexi Popp (Westford, Mass.) ended up 18th in the 400 hurdles in her first trip to the NCAA Championship meet. Popp finished with a time of 1:09.27 and will not advance to the final.

"Lexi came out of the blocks great, probably the best she ever has, but it may have been almost too fast and she hit the second hurdle," said Westfield State head coach Sean O'Brien.

On Friday, senior Sabrina Pray wrapped up her career with and 11th place finish in the hurdles and will not advance to the nine-runner finals. Pray's time of 14.81 was just 7/100ths of a second away from qualifying. She was an All-American in 2017 with a seventh-place finish.

On the men's side of the meet Westfield State sophomore William Canty (Grafton HS/South Grafton, Mass.) placed 14th in the decathlon with a total of 6,218 points, with the events contested on Thursday and Friday.

"He improved on his seed, and PR'd in the long jump, pole vault and the 400," said O'Brien. "It's his first year doing the decathlon and made it to nationals, so that's pretty impressive."

On Friday, Owls' senior David Drigo (Masconomet/Middletown, Mass.) competed in the men's javelin, finishing in 19th place with a top throw of 52.53m (172'-04"). George Fox University senior Seth Nonnenmacher won the national title in that event with a top toss of 73.75m (241'-11").

"The throwers went hog-wild this year," said O'Brien. "It was a really good field."

Nonnemacher's winning throw was one of the best in Division III history. Drigo's toss was just five feet off of his 2016 mark which was good enough to earn All-America honors that season.

The meet has been contested in hot Midwestern conditions, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees on Friday and forecast to approach 95 on Saturday when the majority of the event finals are held. "It's probably even hotter down on the track and the turf," said O'Brien. "We have been roasting out there."