Track and field was the original Olympic event in ancient Greece, the first to have a NCAA national championship competition and even the one that inspired the establishment of Blue Ribbon Sports — now known as Nike.
With all its history, track and field remains a one-of-a-kind staple in the sphere of Division I athletics. Diverse in nature, the sport presents itself as a platform where athletes can challenge the limits of endurance, speed, strength, agility and flexibility, with many events serving as a testament to the intersection of these disciplines. But even within the multi-faceted dynamic of track and field lies an event — the pole vault, in which athletes use a pole to launch themselves over a fiberglass bar — in a league of its own.
