6. Boys pole vault
Photo via NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF
Who: Zach McWhorter, Christopher Nilsen
When: 10:30 AM Saturday
Why: McWhorter might be the best non-Mondo Duplantis vaulter in the country. His 16-11 SB is US #5 and only two inches short of US #2, and he took second behind Duplantis at New Balance Nationals Indoor. McWhorter is also the top-ranked eleventh grader in the nation.
When: 10:30 AM Saturday
Why: McWhorter might be the best non-Mondo Duplantis vaulter in the country. His 16-11 SB is US #5 and only two inches short of US #2, and he took second behind Duplantis at New Balance Nationals Indoor. McWhorter is also the top-ranked eleventh grader in the nation.
Slightly less proven, but with a more robust PR, is Missouri's Christopher Nilsen. He's currently US #2 with his 17-1 outdoor SB, and jumped 17-6.5 indoors. But Nilsen has never competed at any of the major national championships.