June 7, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford pole vaulter Michael Seaman will make his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships Wednesday, June 8. The junior from Bardstown, Ky., advanced to the final round in Des Moines, Iowa, after finishing in an 11-way tie for first place at the NCAA East Region preliminary meet last weekend.

"Michael has shown that with hard work and determination he is hard to beat," Samford head coach Rod Tiffin said. "He didn't rest after making the meet last year. He came back and worked even harder over the summer to better himself. I am really happy for him and know that he has earned every opportunity he has received."

Last season, Seaman became the first male to represent Samford at the NCAA Championships after taking fifth place at the regional meet with a school-record mark of 17-02.75. He finished 16th in the championship round in Eugene, Ore., with a vault of 16-04.75, and looks to top that finish and mark on this trip to Des Moines.

Seaman qualified for the 2011 regional meet at the beginning of May with a season-best mark of 17-01.00 at the FSU Twilight. That mark came just two weeks after Seaman captured his second consecutive SoCon Outdoor title in the pole vault.

The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Drake University. The men's pole vault event will take place on the first day of action on June 8 at 5:35 p.m. Results will be available at the end of each day on www.ncaa.com and at www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com. The entire event will be streamed live through both www.ncaa.com and www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.

A recap of Seaman's performance in the NCAA Championships on Wednesday will be available on www.samfordsports.com.