MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2019 By: Senator(s) Tollison, Hill, Blackwell, To: Rules Hopson, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd) SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 564 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND CONGRATULATING 2 OLYMPIAN AND FORMER OLE MISS TRACK AND FIELD STAR SAM KENDRICKS 3 FOR WINNING HIS FIFTH-STRAIGHT USA OUTDOOR POLE VAULT TITLE. 4 WHEREAS, Olympian and former University of Mississippi Track 5 and Field Star Sam Kendricks continued to etch his legacy into the 6 fabric of Track and Field in the United States after winning his 7 fifth-straight USA Outdoor Title on June 23, 2018; and 8 WHEREAS, Kendricks, the 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 9 Pole Vault, cruised to victory, clearing his first seven bars 10 without a miss. Kendricks and 2018 NCAA Champion Chris Nilsen of 11 South Dakota were the final two in competition, with Kendricks 12 prevailing on a Drake Stadium record clearance of 5.85m 13 (19-02.25). Nilsen opted to pass to the next height at 5.90m 14 (19-04.25), but he missed his two attempts to secure the Gold 15 Medal for Kendricks; and 16 WHEREAS, this marks the eighth total U.S. Title Kendricks has 17 claimed, including the last five outdoors and eight of the last S. C. R. No. 564 *SS26/R1232* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 19/SS26/R1232 PAGE 1 (tb\rc) 18 nine overall across both the indoor and outdoor seasons (Kendricks 19 lost his first career U.S. Competition indoors this season); and 20 WHEREAS, Kendricks is now the first American man to win five 21 straight Pole Vault Titles outdoors since Cornelius Warmerdam did 22 from 1940-1944. This win also marks the 17th U.S. outdoor title 23 won by a former Ole Miss athlete and the 26th overall when 24 combining the indoor and outdoor seasons. Of those 26, a total of 25 19 belong to Kendricks and Olympic Long Jumper Brittney Reese, who 26 has won 11 (seven outdoors, four indoors) throughout her esteemed 27 career; and 28 WHEREAS, in December 2018, Sam Kendricks advanced to the top 29 of the Men's Pole Vault World Rankings. Sam repeated at the top 30 of the heap, the first American to do so since Bob Seagren in 31 1969. He dominated the DL Circuit with five wins, Renaud 32 Lavillenie winning two and Timur Morgunov just one. Overall, 33 Kendricks scored a 7-4 margin over Lavillenie and 7-1 against 34 Mondo Duplantis; and 35 WHEREAS, "The sacrifices that you make set precedent for the 36 rest of your life in sports. They become who you are. Ten years 37 down the road I will see my sacrifices. We are athletes, and we 38 live this life to try to represent ourselves professionally," said 39 Kendricks; and 40 WHEREAS, two years ago, Sam Kendricks brought an Olympic 41 Medal back to Oxford. The Mississippian earned the Bronze Medal S. C. R. No. 564 *SS26/R1232* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 19/SS26/R1232 PAGE 2 (tb\rc) 42 in the Men's Pole Vaulting Competition at the August 15, 2016, 43 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; and 44 WHEREAS, Sam's pole vault for 5.85 meters (19 feet, 2-1/4 45 inches) put him on the medal stand in his first Olympics and for 46 the first United States Pole Vault Medal since 2004. Kendricks 47 cleared 5.85 meters (more than 19 feet) to put himself in the 48 final group, but missed all three attempts at 5.93 meters. 49 Brazil's Thiago Braz da Silva set an Olympic record with a 6.03 50 clear, and France's Renaud Lavillenie took the Silver Medal by 51 topping out at 5.98; and 52 WHEREAS, despite not being able to take home Gold, it was no 53 doubt a successful first Olympics for Kendricks, who grew up in 54 Oxford and attended Ole Miss. He was a two-time NCAA Champion who 55 at age 23 has quite literally jumped into the world of pole 56 vaulting's elite over the last few years; and 57 WHEREAS, a graduate of Oxford High School, he attended The 58 University of Mississippi from 2012 to 2014, where in 2013 he won 59 the first Pole Vault National Title in school history at the NCAA 60 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. He broke both Ole Miss 61 Rebels' Pole Vault records as a freshman. Kendricks announced 62 that he would be turning pro in 2019. In May 2015, he earned a 63 Bachelor's Degree in General Studies and a Commission as an 64 Officer in the United States Army from Ole Miss; and 65 WHEREAS, in 2014, Sam won the Pole Vault Competition at the 66 USA Championships in Sacramento, California, becoming the first S. C. R. No. 564 *SS26/R1232* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 19/SS26/R1232 PAGE 3 (tb\rc) 67 person in school history to win a USA Pole Vault Title, and he 68 captured his second-straight NCAA Outdoor Pole Vault Title in 69 Eugene, Oregon. In his college career, he claimed many other 70 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Awards, including All-American 71 and All-SEC Honors. Mississippians are proud of the 72 accomplishments of Sam Kendricks and wish him continued success; 73 and 74 WHEREAS, Kendrick's story was referenced by the NBC 75 Commenting Team: Not only is he coached by his father, Scott, 76 (who had the words "Oxford, Mississippi" written on his forearms), 77 the Town of Oxford has rallied around Kendricks. All around town 78 were signs with the saying, "Jump Sam Jump"; and 79 WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we join the Oxford and 80 University of Mississippi community in recognizing a Mississippi 81 Athlete and Military Officer who has brought honor to his family, 82 his community, his university and to the State of Mississippi: 83 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 84 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 85 we do hereby recognize and congratulate Olympian and former Ole 86 Miss Track and Field Star Sam Kendricks for winning his 87 fifth-straight USA Outdoor Pole Vault Title, and extend the best 88 wishes of the Legislature for continued success on this auspicious 89 occasion. 90 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 91 Sam Kendricks and his family, forwarded to the Chancellor of The S. C. R. No. 564 *SS26/R1232* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 19/SS26/R1232 PAGE 4 (tb\rc) 92 University of Mississippi and the Board of Trustees of State 93 Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol 94 Press Corps. S. C. R. No. 564 *SS26/R1232* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 19/SS26/R1232 ST: Recognize Olympian and former Ole Miss PAGE 5 (tb\rc) Track and Field Star Sam Kendricks for winning his fifth-straight Pole Vault Title. .