Wichita pole vaulter Bryce Barkdull earns Team USA bid for World U20 Championships

Wichita native Bryce Barkdull will represent Team USA on the world stage later this summer.

The recent Andover Central graduate cleared 17 feet, 8½ inches in the men’s pole vault at the USA Track and Field Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. last Wednesday.

By finishing second in the event, Barkdull punched his ticket as one of two athletes to represent the United States in the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru from August 27-31.

Two days following his U20 performance, Barkdull was back at the prestigious Hayward Field to compete in Nike Outdoor Nationals, where he wrapped up an All-American honor by clearing 17-1¾ to finish in a tie for second place.

Barkdull, who is signed with the University of Kansas, previously cleared 17-9 in a high school meet earlier this spring, which is the No. 1 mark in the country and also doubles as the best pole-vault mark in Kansas history.

He won his second straight Class 5A state championship in May, breaking his own meet record by clearing 17-2.