Kendricks Keeps Flying Higher For Ole Miss 

By Doug Binder for ArmoryTrack.com

Family, school and pole vault are woven together for Ole Miss’ NCAA champion, Sam Kendricks.

To begin with, Kendricks grew up in Oxford, Miss., in the shadow of the university. His mother, Marni, is the assistant dean of the Ole Miss School of Engineering. His father, Scott, ran cross country during his days at Ole Miss and is now Sam’s event coach. Sam’s twin brother, Tom, is also a student at the university.

Kendricks entered Ole Miss with an impressive high school best of 17 feet in the pole vault and a very clear mission.

“I wanted to be an athlete my university could rely on,” Kendricks said. “My freshman year I improved from 17 feet to 17-4. I always wanted there to be that Ole Miss name on the top of the (results) list and keep going higher and higher.”

These days, almost no one is going as high as Kendricks. Last year as a sophomore he became the first NCAA pole vault champion from Ole Miss with a clearance of 18-8.25 at the outdoor championships in Eugene, Ore. Later in the summer he won a gold medal at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia.

Already this winter Kendricks is the national leader after making 18-4.75 at the UAB Blazer Invitational on Jan. 10.

Kendricks will make his first trip to New York City to compete at The Armory Collegiate Invitational presented by NYRR on Feb. 7-8. It is also the first appearance at the meet for Ole Miss.

“All my friends who have been there say (The Armory) is a grand venue,” Kendricks said. “I hear that you have to be a really good athlete to contend there. I’m looking forward to the high level of competition and the fact that it’s crowd-oriented with lots of people watching.”

One of Kendricks’ primary goals for the indoor season is to strive for consistency and get over 18 feet, at a minimum, in every meet.

“My season started last December and so far it’s turned out exactly as we planned,” he said.

Winning an NCAA title has changed his perspective a bit. He is not only perhaps the best collegiate vaulter but is crashing into the stratosphere of the top men in the U.S.

The 2016 Olympic Games are coming into focus.

“I think a lot of people have that dream and I’m among them, for sure,” Kendricks said.

Photos courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics.