Vaulters Bring a Crowd to Brit's: Updated with Results

Kayla Caldwell finishes the winning vault. Photo by Mike McCarthy

Kayla Caldwell won the women's title and Jeff Coover the men's in the elite division of the Brit's Pub Vault Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis.  A capacity crowd spilled over onto the grass of the lawn bowling field transformed into a pole vault arena.  They clapped.  They cheered.  They rejoiced on the vaulter's clearances and moaned for misses.

Jeff Coover sets up for a vault. Photo by Mike McCarthy

While the majority of the crowd was track and field fans,  many spectators were watching a live vaulting event for the first time.  "I didn't know there were professional pole vaulters," said one spectator when it was explained to her that the vaulters she was watching warm up were pros.

Rich Krieger, father of Grant Krieger, who finished third to Mitch Valli in the Group B men's vault, renewing their high school rivalry, said the vault competition was a great event and that he hoped it would be held again next year.  He noted that he had gone to 20 street/beach/other special venue vaults and the Brit's event topped his list.

Mitch Valli wins men's group B. Photo by
Mike McCarthy

Caldwell said she had only done six events this year and was also impressed by Brit's.  "If they do it again next year, I'll be back," she said.  When asked if she had vaulted in competition after sundown, she said she had done a few.  She added that she was doing one more event this year, a cave vault in St. Louis.  "That'll be in the dark too, so this was good practice."

Zach Johnson won the men's Class C title.  Anna Posbergh won the women's Class C.  Alexis Kiefer won the women's Class B. Order of finish in the different categories are below(Still waiting on height info for the pro events-heights are in meters, when we get them all we'll convert to feet and inches.):

Pro Men

1-Jeff Coover

2-Mick Vicken

3-Jeremy Scott

4-Jordan Scott

5-Peter Geraghty

6-Shawn Francis

Pro Women

1-Kayla Caldwell

2-Becky Holliday

3-Leslie Brost

4-Sam Sonnenburg

5-Katie Murgic

Masters Men

1-Steve White 4.25

2-Trevor Richards 4.10

3-Jim Moeller 3.65

4-Joe Lohmann 3.65

5-Mike Harudke 3.50

6-Marty Proops 3.05

Masters Women

1-Laura Blackledge 3.50

2-Amie Chamberlain 3.05

3-Caroline White 2.90

Men's C

1-Zach Johnson 4.55

2-Jason Beutz 4.25

3-Blade Westaby 4.25

4-Michael Roth 4.25

5-Jake Dickmann 4.25

6-Windsor Molnar 4.25

7-Jonathan Heinz 4.25

8-Tony Marcinek 4.10

T-9-Reed McLevis 4.10

T-9-Jamie Steffen 4.10

11-Parker Nolden 3.95

12-AJ Walsh-Brenzie 3.65

13-Jon Hammerschmidt 2.75

Womens C

1-Anna Posbergh 3.28

2-Amanda Sonnenburg 3.05

3-Kendall Novak 2.90

T-4-Olivia Khauv 2.90

T-4-Brittany Tuberg 2.90

6-Maggie Harris 2.75

Mens B

1-Mitchell Valli 5.00

2-Joe Brehdal 4.85

3-Grant Krieger 4.85

4-Connor O’Neill 4.70

5-Matthew Fleigle 4.70

6-David Lindenberg 4.55

7-Garrett Riggs 4.55

8-Bryan Klister 4.40

Womens B

1-Alexis Kiefer 4.00

T-2-Esther Jandrich 3.65

T-2-Hannah Wallace 3.65

4-Abby Baier 3.35

5-Hannah Linder 3.35

6-Riley Claude 3.05