Sanders' Arkansas Pole Vaulters Continue To Reach New Heights

By Brian Towey of DyeStat 

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Lake Hamilton AR junior Haze Farmer's first meet outside of Arkansas went swimmingly: Representing the Arkansas Vault Club, he finished second at New Balance Nationals Outdoor with a 17-1 clearance, while club teammate Rhett Nelson, a sophomore from Texarkana, Ark., finished tied for sixth at 16-1.25. 

Following the meet, Farmer was asked why the Arkansas Vault Club has produced so many great vaulters. His answer: Maurice Sanders. 

"Morry" Sanders, a 48-year old former pole vaulter, at one time held the state's pole vault record of 16-8. As the purveyor of the state's top pole vault club, and owner of the biggest pole vaulting pits in the state (including universities), Sanders' fervor with the pole vault has changed the state's vaulting destiny. 

"If a kid's got athletic ability, they can be really good at the pole vault," Sanders said. "I take that upon myself. If I feel like they have ability, I want them to reach their potential." 

As a seventh grader, Sanders caught his first glimpse of the event during a television interview. 

"Back then there was no such thing as satellite or cable TV," Sanders said. "My school only had pole vaulting from the eighth grade. That was my calling." 

The 16-8 state record he achieved at Lake Hamilton High stood for 17 years. Then he competed at Arkansas State along with Jeff Hartwig, the former U.S. record holder. 

In 1999 Sanders began teaching students the pole vault, and in 2000 put a pole vault runway in his backyard. He taught athletes like Spencer McCorkel of Bryant High, who broke Sanders' record when he cleared 17-0 and win the Nike Outdoor Nationals in 2007. 

That same year he decided to open a pole vault facility in his home. The state-of-the-art facility opened in the spring of 2008. 

"As far as the pole vault, we've kind of created a culture because so many kids are doing it," Sanders said. "Every year we've had kids go to college on scholarship and that's good for their families, who don't have to pay money. 

"Not every kid is doing this because they think they're going to be a superstar, but they love the atmosphere, love the challenge." 

The state's boys pole vault record list extends outward with alums of the club. After Sanders and McCorkel, who cleared 17-9 in 2007, there was Nick Johnson and Andrew Irwin, whom Sanders coaches professionally and will compete this week at the USATF Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Irwin set the state record of 17-9.25 for Mount Ida in 2011 before becoming a two-time NCAA champion and professional with a PR of 19-3. 

"We've had kids come from as far away as Florida for our summer camp," Sanders said. "But most come from border states with Arkansas." 

All told, six Arkansas Vault Club athletes have surpassed 17 feet, including Farmer (17-4), Har Ber's Zach McWhorter (17-2 in 2016) and Lake Hamilton's Samuel Ewing (17-1 2010). 

The alums on the girls side include national high school record holders Lexi and Tori Weeks (formerly of Cabot High), who are current stars at the University of Arkansas. Lexi Jacobus (she was married in 2017) was a 2016 Olympian. Jacobus and her sister (now Tori Hoggard) went 1-2 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Both of them are competing in Des Moines this weekend as well.

In addition to the twins, there was Stephanie Foreman, a 2008 Lake Hamilton alum who cleared 13-6.25, and current Lake Hamilton junior Edie Murray, who has cleared 13-6,25 and made 12-6.25 at NBNO.   

Just a sophomore, Nelson fell into the event after his sisters did it. A native of Texarkana, Arkansas, about two hours south of Black Springs, Nelson and his family have made the trip regularly to Sanders' camp over the past two years. 

With a red, chinstrap beard, Nelson glowed following his All-American finish Saturday at NBNO, the latest Arkansas-bred vaulter in a line that has no end.

"We have great coaches and a great atmosphere," Nelson said. "We eat, breathe and sleep the pole vault."