Bradford breaks 19-foot barrier, sets Tech record for third week in a row

Every time Zach Bradford steps onto the runway this track and field season, he's becoming a must-see attraction.

Bradford broke the Texas Tech record in the indoor pole vault for the third week in a row Saturday, clearing 19 feet, 1 1/2 inches at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic in Albuquerque.

The 6-foot, 165-pound senior from Bloomington, Illinois, transferred from Kansas to Tech in August and has reset the school record five times in the past three weeks. On Jan. 20, he broke Brandon Bray's three-year-old mark of 18-5 1/4 by going 18-7 1/4 and 18-9 1/4. On Jan. 28, he cleared 18-10 3/4. Those came in Tech home meets at the Sports Performance Center.

And before he broke the 19-foot barrier Saturday, he cleared the previous height of 18-11 1/2.

"He had an off year last year when he was finishing up at Kansas," Tech coach Wes Kittley said recently. "It's just so fun to see him come here and be happy and love this school and love this place, and then coach (Tom) Slagle's just doing a fabulous job with him. They're really clicking as coach/athlete and the teammates. I think he's just a happy guy that's gotten his confidence back, so really fun to see."

The only thing Bradford failed to achieve in Albuquerque was first place. Princeton's Sondre Guttormsen cleared 19-4 1/4. Guttormsen, a Norwegian born in California, was the NCAA champion indoor and outdoor last year and has competed in the world championships and the Tokyo Olympics. He and Bradford are one-two in the NCAA this season.

Over the past 10 NCAA indoor seasons, Guttormsen and Bradford are two of only nine men in Division I to clear 19 feet, according to the Track and Field Results Reporting System. Some have done it more than once, including Bradford, who set the Kansas school record two years ago by going 19-0 3/4.

Bradford was a three-time Big 12 champion and a five-time first-team all-American at KU. An unsettling experience and an unsatisfactory 2022 season prompted his change of scenery. Bradford recounted last month that losing his grip on a pole during takeoff and falling backward onto the mat at a meet last indoor season left him, though not physically hurt, shaken psychologically and hesitant to vault.

He finished ninth at last year's NCAA outdoor — great by many vaulters' standards, but his worst showing in six NCAA championship competitions.

"I just had a rough mental health year at Kansas, didn't really have that much support teammates-wise," he said last month. "The coach there was great. It was not because of the coach. It was mainly because (of) facilities, support and everything. So I kind of wanted to use my fifth year, my Covid year, for a different change.

"The facilities here (at Tech) are amazing. The team environment, they have a good chance of winning conference as a team and I want to be a part of that."

The New Mexico meet was the lone road trip for the Red Raiders during the regular season. Tech hosts the Jarvis Scott on Friday and Saturday, the Matador Qualifier on Feb. 17 and the Big 12 championships on Feb. 24-25.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Zach Bradford breaks 19-foot barrier, sets Tech record for third week in a row