*Bryce Barkdull clears 17-6.25. at the Shawnee Mission North Relays
Photo Credit: Josh Hobson/MileSplit
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The nation's top returning pole vaulter and MileSplit's No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2024 is joining his brother at the University of Kansas.
Yesterday, Bryce Barkdull, a senior at Andover Central (KS), shared via his Instagram that he had narrowed down his final two schools, Kansas and Texas Tech. His brother, Ashton Barkdull, is also currently a member of the men's track team at Kansas.
As a sophomore, Barkdull had a lifetime best clearance of 15-0 and was the state runner-up behind his brother Ashton. As a junior, he made an incredible jump -- both literally and metaphorically.
Barkdull soared to a new PR of 17-6.25, which was good enough for both the Kansas all-time record and the No. 2 clearance in the nation.
On four separate occasions, Barkdull cleared 17-0, one of which was at the 5A state championships, good enough to break his brother's recent meet record.
Barkdull put together a competition record of 8-2, with both losses coming before the second week of April. His season ended with the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year award and a national title at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
The younger Barkdull will be joining one of the best vault programs in the nation, one that had five different athletes clear 17-3.
