The last events to be covered in the weekly position previews for the men’s track & field competitions are the pole vault and the high jump.
The Cougars only have five athletes on their roster across these two events, and only two of them are returning athletes.
But despite this lack of depth, these three competitors will nonetheless be looking to score as many points as they can for their team.
Junior Chris Morales (Pole Vault): In two years with the Cougars, Chris Morales has shown himself to be a multifaceted athlete.
Just last season, Morales competed in multiple events across 13 meets between both the Indoor and Outdoor seasons.
As for the pole vault, Morales set personal bests last season in both competitions, with 4.70 meters and 4.78 meters in the Indoor and Outdoor meets respectively.
Morales surely has goals of championships, both as an individual and for the team. But if he continues to consistently perform in the decathlon and heptathlon events, then he has solidified his spot as a valuable points contributor.
Needless to say, Morales is bound for a big year this upcoming campaign.
Junior Morris Olumba (High Jump): A four-year letterman from San Antonio, Olumba has quickly become a strong competitor for the Cougars in the high jump.
During his freshman campaign, Olumba ended up in the top ten at both the Indoor and Outdoor AAC championships, finished tenth and sixth respectively.
It was in that Indoor campaign that Olumba set an Indoor best at 1.97 meters and consistently cleared 1.90 meters or better at every event.
While not competing in the outdoor events his sophomore year, Olumba had great success in the Outdoor events.
He beat his personal best jump with a 2.01 meter leap at the AAC Championship and consequently earned All-AAC honors.
Olumba will be looking to continue his success with the Cougars in the following campaign.
Freshman Edward Trevino (Pole Vault): Edward Trevino is coming to UH after being a four-year letterman for J.B. Alexander High School in Laredo.
In all four seasons, Trevino was a regional qualifier for the Bulldogs. In his junior and senior seasons, he was the District 29-6A Champion in the pole vault.
In addition, Trevino has earned Academic All-State honors and was a USATF and AAU State Qualifier.