THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300538
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF, WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: EUGENE, ORE. LENGTH: 60 lines
After a short nap while awaiting his turn, Chesapeake's Lawrence Johnson concluded his remarkable collegiate pole vault career Wednesday by clearing a meet-record 19 feet, 1 inch for his second consecutive NCAA title.
The Tennessee senior's effort came just five days after he set the American record by clearing 19-7 1/2 in Knoxville.
Johnson easily cleared 18-2 1/2 on his first try, then clinched first place by making it over 18-6 1/2.
After missing once at 19- 1/4, he had the bar moved up to 19-1, where he cleared it on the first try.
Johnson missed three times at 19-4 1/4. Two of them were close. He knocked the bar off with his wrists while coming down on his first try and barely brushed it loose after making it over on his third attempt.
Johnson didn't intend to stop at 19-4 1/4. He said he expected to make it, then move to 19-8 1/4, where he would try to become the fourth vaulter ever to clear 6 meters.
``I think it may have been too chilly,'' he said. ``It took me awhile to get going.''
Johnson, who turned 22 two weeks ago, topped 19 feet for the fourth time this year and is promising bigger things now that his college career is over.
``Today is the end of one era and the time to start another,'' he said.
Johnson waited two hours while lesser vaulters competed at lower heights. Listening to music on his headphones, he dozed off for 30 to 40 minutes.
``Taking a nap helps me conserve some energy,'' he said.
The ultra-confident vaulter and part-time rhythm-and-blues singer says his goal is to become the first to clear 21 feet. He came back from a serious foot injury that nearly ended his career two years ago.
Johnson, whose American record also qualifies as the best collegiate vault ever, broke the meet record of 19- 1/4 set by Istvan Bagyula of George Mason in 1991 and tied by Bagyula a year later.
David Cox of Fresno State finished second. He was the only other vaulter to clear 18-2 1/2.
Among other local athletes who competed Wednesday, Tamika Powell of George Mason finished 14th in the discus, with a throw of 162 feet, 6 inches. Powell, from Kellam High, will compete in the hammer throw Saturday.
Norfolk's Tonya Williams won her heat in the 400-meter hurdles, in 56.98 seconds. Williams, a senior at the University of Illinois will compete in the 100-meter hurdles today.
The weather was cool and the skies overcast at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field for the opening day of competition. But that didn't slow the LSU sprinters.
The LSU women, heavily favored to win a 10th consecutive national team championship, had the second-fastest collegiate time ever in the 400-meter relay.
Their 42.76-second clocking in qualifying for Friday's finals set a Hayward Field record and was second only to LSU's 42.50-second performance in the 1989 NCAA championships.
Unlike Wednesday's race, that time came at high altitude in Provo, Utah.
The LSU men also set a field record in the 400 relay qualifying at 38.86. ILLUSTRATION: Lawrence Johnson by CNB