Akron pole vaulter Matt Ludwig of Lake Catholic qualifies for NCAA D-I Outdoor Meet

Matt Ludwig is making a return trip to Eugene, Ore., in two weeks to defend his NCAA Division I Outdoor national championship in the pole vault.

On May 24, the Lake Catholic graduate made it official. He qualified for the D-I Outdoor Meet at the three-day NCAA East Preliminary Round in Tampa. Ludwig, a junior, cleared 17 feet, 6 1/2 inches, and finished tied for the sixth. He is one of 12 NCAA qualifiers from the NCAA East.

“It’s one of the most stressful meets of the year,” said Ludwig at GoZips.com. “I made it a little stressful last year, and this year I came through and missed just one jump the whole meet. Just stuck to a lot more fundamentals, and some nice, easy jumping.”

Last season, he entered the field at the NCAA D-I Outdoor meet in Eugene, Ore., as the No. 1 seed, and was even better, as he became the national champion. The Zips sophomore used a bit of drama to win the 2017 NCAA title. He cleared 18 feet, 4.5 inches on his third and final try.

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