Oak Park and River Forest High School alum Yasmin Ruff won the pole vault title for Washington University (St. Louis) at the NCAA Division III women’s outdoor track and field championships, May 23-25, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“Winning a national championship has been a longtime goal of mine,” said Ruff, a 2020 graduate whose winning height was 4.06 meters (13-3 ¾). “All the blood, sweat, and tears I put into my training finally paid off. It was a feeling I will never forget.”
Ruff’s victory also provided 10 important points in the team standings for Washington, which won the title with 71 points, 23.5 better than runner-up University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
“The team has some extremely talented athletes and we’ve been eyeing this title for a while now,” Ruff said. “Sharing that moment with the amazing women on my team is a memory I will cherish forever.”
A talented athlete herself, Ruff currently holds OPRF records in the girls’ pole vault as well two girls’ diving records. She credits OPRF pole vault coach Tim Gamble and diving coach Mark Pappalardo for helping craft her success.
“Their support has been evident in the way they’ve kept up with me even after leaving OPRF,” Ruff said. “They both congratulated me on my performance at nationals; it meant the world to me.”
Ruff, who didn’t start college until the fall of 2021, has one more year of eligibility and plans to defend her title. She also has Washington’s school record of 4.15 meters in her sights.
“I’m coming for it,” Ruff said. “I’ve still got a lot left in me, and I’m so excited to see what this last year brings.”
Garland, Newhart qualify for USATF U-20 national teams
Also in track and field, OPRF Class of 2023 graduates Reese Garland and Liam Newhart will be competing for the United States U-20 National Team in the World Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, Aug. 27-31.
Both secured their spots in the USATF U-20 Championships held at the University of Oregon, June 12-15. Newhart, now attending the University of Wisconsin, won the men’s 5000-meter run with a time of 14:08.74, while Garland, currently at the University of Southern California, took silver in the women’s discus with a throw of 53.89 meters (176-9).
Park district gymnasts fare well in national meets
Several members of the boys gymnastics program at the Park District of Oak Park turned in splendid performances during recent national competitions.
At the Eastern National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, April 26-28, TJ Carr placed fifth in the all-around. Patrick Britton was 14th, Luca Depa 27th, and Sam Bohrer 31st.
Then last month, five individuals took part in the USA Gymnastics Development Program National Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. Josh Oxer was third in the all-around. Renny Barnitz came in fourth, and Matt Adler was 13th. Oxer also helped the Region 5 team pick up an overall team award.
Keith Kerrigan, program and operations manager at PDOP’s Gymnastics Recreation Center, was thrilled with how the gymnasts performed.
“Our teammates who qualified for championship competitions truly worked extremely hard to achieve this level of skill,” he said in a press release. “I am proud to see all of their hard work pay off and how professionally they represented the Park District of Oak Park.”
Kerrigan also gave credit to Nikko Winstead, the program’s coach.
“Coach Nikko has done a tremendous job with the program and the results show,” he said. “He creates a safe, competitive, and most importantly, fun environment.”