Weeks sisters make history by clearing 15 feet in same meet

Tori Weeks becomes third Arkansas female pole vaulter indoors and fourth overall to join 15-foot club, joining sophomore twin Lexi following victory at SEC Championships

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

There were identical marks for Arkansas sophomore twins Lexi and Tori Weeks in the women’s pole vault final Friday at the SEC Championships in Nashville, Tenn., but for one sister, clearing the 15-foot barrier (4.57m) indoors was much more significant than the other.

Tori Weeks became only the sixth collegiate female with a 15-foot indoor clearance on her first try, edging sister Lexi for the conference title based on fewer attempts at the winning height. Arkansas won its seventh SEC women’s crown, including its fourth in the past five seasons.

Lexi Weeks had already cleared 15-2.25 (4.63m) last year to win the NCAA Indoor title and still holds the collegiate lead this season with a 15-1 clearance (4.60m) at the Feb. 17 Arkansas Qualifier.

The performance by Tori Weeks helped Arkansas become the first program to have two 15-foot vaulters not only on the same team, but at the same meet.

The Razorbacks boast half of the six indoor collegiate 15-foot vaulters in history, with Sandi Morris ranking No. 2 all-time at 15-3.50 (4.66m), trailing only Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin, who set the collegiate record of 15-7 (4.75m) in 2015.

Including outdoor competitions, 10 college female vaulters have now cleared 15 feet, including four from Arkansas, with Slovenian Tina Sutej – the 2011 NCAA Indoor champion – producing a 15-1.50 (4.61m) outdoor clearance in 2011. No other school in the country boasts more than one.