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ALBUQUERQUE – Slippery Rock University senior standout Jen Hansen earned her fifth career All-America honor with a third-place finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships Friday evening.

Hansen cleared 3.91 meters (12'10”), her second-best mark of the season, to place third in the event.

The top-eight finishers in each event earn All-America honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Hansen now has two All-America honors during the indoor season, along with three All-America certificates from the outdoor season.

“We couldn't be more proud of Jen and the way she performed this season,” said head coach John Papa. “She had to miss both seasons last year with an injury and for her to come back and place third at nationals is an outstanding accomplishment.”

The Rock men's track and field team was represented by Brady Wert and Phil Rector at the national meet Friday.

Wert opened competition in the heptathlon, finishing the first four events in ninth-place with a score of 2,711 points. Wert trails eighth-place by just 14 points heading into the final three events, which will take place Saturday.

Wert's best performance on the first day of competition came in the high jump, where he led all competitors with a clearance of 1.95 meters.

Rector competed in the preliminary round of the 800-meter run, narrowly missing a trip to the finals after posting the 10th-fastest time at 1:54.85. The top-nine runners in the trials advance to Saturday's final.

Wert will be joined Saturday on the final day of competition by Kim Stitt, who will compete in the triple jump.