EUGENE, Ore. -- Army reservist Sam Kendricks now gets to represent his country in a whole new way.On the Fourth of July, the second lieutenant captured the pole vault crown with a U.S. track and field trials record jump that earned him an Olympic spot for Rio. He proudly waved his red, white and blue flag -- with a little extra vigor.I love to have the colors [of the flag] in my hands, Kendricks said. Im lucky and Im very thankful for the grace to befall on me that I get to do this and compete for my country.My commitment to my country comes first and foremost.It was a big day for the armed forces in the pole vault, with U.S. Air Force star Cale Simmons taking second. Logan Cunningham was third.There were two other Air Force members in the field: Dylan Bell and Joey Uhle, who had a mishap with his pole when it snapped in the middle of one of his jumps. Uhle didnt clear a height.It messes with your mind a bit, throws you off your balance, Uhle said.Kendricks was proud of his fellow servicemen.All great jumpers and serving their country on two fronts, Kendricks said.The 23-year-old certainly didnt disappoint, as he cleared 19 feet, 4 3/4 inches (5.91 meters) to break the trials record set by Tim Mack in 2004. It just so happened that Mack was on the sideline encouraging Kendricks to top his mark.Later, Mack placed the gold medal around Kendricks neck.The meet record was a byproduct of a lot of great jumping, Kendricks said. I was lucky enough to have a coach who had a plan.For that, he gave thanks to his dad, who doubles as his coach. They hugged after he won.That was our goal: Come out here and jump the bars like we did in practice, said Kendricks, a two-time NCAA champion at Mississippi who still trains in Oxford.This was quite a contrast to four years ago at trials, when Kendricks showed up in Eugene ready to compete but didnt. He boarded the plane with a spot in the field, but when he landed, he was informed that, through some late additions, he was out.Kendricks scrambled to buy a ticket and watched from the stands.I saw it as a blessing. It really allowed me to have a hard goal, not to be on the bubble again, Kendricks said. An easy goal to set but not necessarily easy to obtain when you dont know what the future looks like. I made that promise, made stronger by the fact I had to watch from the sidelines.He was the clear favorite in this event, especially after he took second at the world indoor championships four months ago. Whats more, he had the second-best vault in the world this season, trailing only Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France.The fans had his back, too.Theres that thunder in your heart when you hear the crowd behind you, especially when you look around, Kendricks said. Its funny, when you look to the left, you hear them right there in your ear, and then you look to your right and hear that clap, you get that double heartbeat action.It made me feel like everyone was behind me, and thats what I love about the pole vault. We get to be out there all day, and you can really feel the crowd get behind you. Travis Hamonic Jersey . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Mikael Backlund Jersey . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. http://www.authenticflamesshopnhl.com/joe-nieuwendyk-jersey/ . 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The Terrapins are averaging 266.7 yards rushing and have scored 123 points, second-most in school history after three games.Two weeks ago, the defense gave up 455 yards at Central Florida and the Terps still came away with a 30-24 overtime victory .Durkin came to Maryland after a successful run as Michigans defensive coordinator. He expects the Terrapins defense to improve dramatically -- perhaps as soon as Saturday, when Maryland returns from a bye week to launch its Big Ten schedule against visiting Purdue (2-1, 0-0).For now, Durkin will happily take victories manufactured by an offense that isnt restricted by the two-deep depth chart.Were doing a good job of getting everyone involved. Were rotating guys at about every spot out there, Durkin said Tuesday. Everyone understands that they have a role. How they practice affects what that role is, how many snaps they get. Thats a big part of our program.Fourteen different players have caught a pass and 10 players have carried the ball. The depth at running back will be bolstered Saturday by the return of Wes Brown, who ran for 317 yards last year but missed the first three games while serving a suspension for a violation of the schools student athlete code of conduct.Brown practiced with the team during the suspension and is poised to join a running attack that currently ranks second in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State.Wes has been outstanding the whole time, Durkin said.dddddddddddd. He will definitely be in the mix.The offensive shuffle extends to the line. Though Durkin employed the same starters against Howard, Florida International and UCF, the backups have seen plenty of action and will almost certainly be utilized Saturday and beyond.Since Ive been at Maryland, its always been the five guys who played the whole game, said junior left tackle William Dunn, who has 40 career starts. Its nice knowing that some of the younger guys can get in every once in a while, get some experience. If something happens during the year, its not going to be their first game. Now that were in Big Ten play, they wont be nervous about going out there the first time.Even the backup quarterbacks have contributed. After Hills left in overtime with a shoulder injury, freshman Tyrell Pigrome ran 24 yards for the game-winning touchdown.Hills is expected to return against Purdue, but Durkin wont hesitate to call upon Pigrome is the situation is right.Its good to know we have that option available to us, the coach said.Although depth is definitely a factor in Marylands offensive success, first-year coordinator Walt Bell certainly deserves some of the credit for installing a hurry-up attack that utilizes a diverse set of plays.They have a perfect plan for us to win the game, said receiver Teldrick Morgan, who has eight catches for 129 yards.Defensively, Durkin said Tuesday that safety Denzel Conyers is done for the season after tearing his ACL against UCF. 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