EWU pole vaulter Keisa Monterola withdraws from NCAA finals in Des Moines...

DES MOINES, Iowa--Hours before the finals of the women's pole vault at the NCAA Track & Field championships at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University, Eastern Washington University announced that pole vaulter Keisa Monterola (left/photo courtesy Eastern Washington University), the former NWAACC champion from Clackamas Community College, has withdrawn from the competition to go home to Venezuela to tend to a family emergency.

Monterola, who placed fifth for the Eagles at the NCAA indoor championships, had a solid shot at a top-eight finish, though she entered the competition with a outdoor best of 14-0 (4.27m), set at Cheney, which was the #13 mark in NCAA Division I.

According to EWU head coach Marcia Mecklenburg, Monterola left this morning to head home to Venezuela.

Monterola, the national record holder in the pole vault, was looking to clear the Olympic B standard of 14-5 1/4 (4.40m) to ensure selection by the Venezuelan federation for the Olympics by the July 8th qualification deadline.

The Eastern Washington release is available here.

Washington's Logan Miller and Georgia Reynolds will compete in the pole vault this afternoon, beginning at 3:30 pm, pacific time. Wednesday's competition will be streamed via ncaa.com.