The Sun Belt Conference Indoor track and field championships ended before they began for freshman South Alabama pole vaulter Ty Holenback, who broke both bones in his lower left leg during an unsuccessful vault Monday in Birmingham.
South Alabama Assistant Athletic Director of Sports MedicineJinni Frisbey confirmed the injury and Holenback is scheduled to have surgery at the USA Medical Center today.
South Alabama track coach Paul Brueske said Holenback, a redshirt freshman from Rigby, Idaho, knocked off the crossbar during his first attempt at the meet and came down feet first, getting his spikes stuck in the mesh of the mat as he attempted to avoid the fallen crossbar.
“It was a horrific injury,” Brueske said. “It was hard to see.”
Led by first-place finishes from Christoph Graf in the 3,000 meters and the distance medley relay team, South Alabama’s men finished the first day of the meet in second place with a total of 41 points, trailing only Texas State’s 45 points. The women’s team heads into day two tied for eighth with 3 points.
The meet at the Birmingham CrossPlex continued today beginning at 9 a.m.
From: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/02/south_alabama_pole_vaulter_ty.html
