Matt Ludwig, Lake Catholic grad, takes MAC title in pole vault

As the defending NCAA Division I Outdoor pole vault champion, Matt Ludwig has high hopes in early June.

That’s when the NCAA D-I Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held in Eugene, Ore.

A step to defending that title was May 10 at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Meet at the University of Buffalo. Ludwig, a Lake Catholic grad, cleared that with another standout performance.

The junior from Chardon won his fourth career title in the men’s pole vault for the University of Akron Zips with a MAC championship vault of 18 feet, 1/2 inch. He cleared that height on his first jump of the day to clinch the title.

“It turned out to be a not terrible day (weather-wise),” said Ludwig at gozips.com. “There were some shifty winds. They moved around a bunch, 15, 20 miles per hour. So that was definitely something to work around. To counter that I came up with a shorter approach.

“Solid performance, and still working on my consistency. It’s looking really nice heading into the postseason,” said Ludwig.

During the indoor season, Ludwig earned first-team All-America honors with a fourth-placed finish at the NCAA Division I Championships. He also won the MAC indoor championship in the event.

Don’t miss