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Laura Olson

SACRAMENTO, CA - Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) cleared all three preliminary heights to advance to the finals in the pole vault at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, CA on Thursday afternoon. The junior vaulter was one of 14 athletes to advance to the finals to be held on Saturday evening.

Olson cleared heights of 3.75 meters (12-3.50), 3.90 meters (12-9.50) and 4.00 meters (13-1.50) to advance. After clearing the initial height on her first attempt, Olson faulted twice before clearing the second height on her final pass and faulted once before clearing the final height to advance to the finals.

"She wanted to prove that she is not a fluke," head coach Perry Jenkins said. "It came down to her final jump and it showed how much she wanted it as she really popped it and came through."

Olson, who set the school record with a vault of 4.01 meters (13-1.75) earlier this season, will compete in the finals on Saturday evening at 9 pm (EST). If she can finish in the top eight, she will become only the second UB track and field athlete to earn Division I All-American honors. High jumper Shelly Hamilton earned All-American honors in 1998.

Olson's teammate Biaunca McFarland (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) finished 15th in the preliminaries of the triple jump, merely 6.75 inches from qualifying for the finals. Her second attempt resulted in her best jump of 41-08.50. However, it wasn't enough as only the top 12 jumpers advanced to the finals.