DES MOINES, Iowa - Katie Stripling might have entered through the back door, but she's strolling out the front.

Stripling finished third in the pole vault at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Friday at Drake Stadium.

The six points Stripling earned are the only ones the Lady Razorbacks have at nationals. Arkansas senior Dacia Barr is the Lady Razorbacks' remaining competitor, running the 1, 500-meter final this afternoon. Barr was fifth a year ago.

Stripling was subject to some criticism after she gained entry into the meet because Arkansas assistant Bryan Compton took advantage of a little-used rule. Stripling had finished 13 th at the Mideast Regional, apparently eliminating her from consideration for the national meet.

Compton found that if he withdrew a Lady Razorback who had finished in the top 12, Stripling would move up in the standings and qualify. Stripling had cleared 14 feet, 2 inches this year, which was tied for the second-best mark in the nation.

"They were pretty angry," Stripling said, referring to some posts on the Web site PoleVaultPower. com. "It gave me more determination and motivation to prove people wrong. I used it to help me."

Stripling said several pole vault competitors shunned her at the meet, although she said it could be because they didn't know her.

"A couple of the girls wouldn't talk to me," Stripling said.

Compton said Stripling's performance should stop the complaining. He said those upset with his use of the rules were just mad because they didn't use the same rules to their advantage.

"She shut the critics up on the pole vaulting Web sites and blogs," Compton said. "They don't understand the rules. If they knew them, they would have used them, too." Stripling showed her ability at nationals, clearing all four heights flawlessly in qualifying and up to 1 13-5 / 4 in the final. She missed her

1 first attempt at 13-9 / 4 before clearing it. She missed all three attempts at

1 14-1 / 4 and her earlier miss put her in third. If she hadn't missed that attempt, she would have been in a jump-off against eventual champion Katie Morgan of California. "I wanted All-American," Stripling said. "Once I knew I had All-American, I relaxed and wanted to see what place I could get."

The success should help Stripling's confidence, which hit bottom after her debacle at regionals. Stripling only began pole vaulting late in her senior year at Jonesboro, and then only as a lark.

"I do realize I am actually good," Stripling said. "The selfdoubt got to me at regionals. I kept telling myself I'm good to begin with."

Arkansas Coach Lance Harter said Stripling is bubbling with talent but just has to learn to use it and trust her skill. He said he hopes the national success is the first step to her emergence as a superstar in the sport.

"Once she truly figures out how to vault, [Compton ] feels she can be just dominant," Harter said. "She's really a novice."

Stripling said if someone had told her before the year she would be third at outdoors, she wouldn't have believed it. This season, Stripling has won conference indoors and outdoors, the first Lady Razorback to win both, let alone in the same year.

"I wouldn't have thought it would happen," Stripling said. "It has happened so fast. It's overwhelming, but it's exciting. I want to see how high I can go."

She's already high enough to look down on her critics.

Lady Razorbacks junior Christine Kalmer finished out of the top 10 in the 5, 000 late Friday night. Kalmer was in solid position most of the race before fading in the last half of the race.

Harter said Kalmer had run with some of the runners who finished in the top eight, but Kalmer didn't have anything left when the race picked up in the last 2, 000 meters.

"There was just nothing there," Harter said. "It's unfortunate. She's not used to running back-to-back races."