JACKSONVILLE — At Saturday’s Class 2A state track meet, the pole vault runway was back to being a zone reserved for Hillsborough County boys and girls athletes, just as it was when gold medals were a foregone conclusion, not a point of conjecture.
Tampa Catholic’s Nicole Carroll and Jesuit’s Nick Catchur both won titles, marking the first time the county had a girls and boys pole vault champion in the same season since 2002.
In an event that demands an intricate blend of mental and physical agility and superb timing, Carroll coordinated perfectly and lofted herself over the bar at 11 feet to win. Carroll and Ransom Everglades’ Nati Sheppard finished at the same height, but Carroll won the title because she did not have any scratches.
“I was hoping to go 11-6, but I’ll take it,” Carroll said. “I was able to stay clean through all my jumps and that helped me build confidence.”
It is a remarkable ascent for Carroll, who started pole vaulting last year after spending her childhood as a gymnast. She missed nearly all of last season with a strained hip flexor.
“I picked up pole vaulting after watching it in the Olympics,” Carroll said. “I’m kind of an adventure seeker, and it is such a rush going up that high and falling into the (foam) pit. I felt like I improved so much this year and still have a lot of room to grow.”
Catchur also won his first state title, clearing 14 feet, 6 inches. Last year, he failed to qualify for the state meet, finishing fifth at region. He was confident that he could win considering he had the top seed heading into the meet at 15-0. But he also knows the pole vault can be a tricky event.
“Anything can happen in the pole vault, so I still was a little apprehensive,” Catchur said. “Poles can snap. You can no-height. I think once I cleared 14-6 I was confident because no one else had gone past 14 before.”
The heights were not eye-popping but the message was clear: Hillsborough County was back.
Since 1999, the county has had a combined 10 state champions in the pole vault among boys and girls entering Saturday’s meet. But this was the first time in two years that Hillsborough had a champion in the event.
Berkeley Prep’s Max Borland was third in the 3,200 in 9:40.36. Jesuit’s Jack Taylor was fourth in the shot put (52-5) and teammate Vincent Jackson was eighth (51-3 ¾).
On the girls side, Spoto’s Janae Caldwell was second in the 400, finishing in 55.73. Academy of the Holy Names’ Claire Snyder took third in the 3,200 (11:24.90), and teammate Ryann McEnany was sixth in the 100 hurdles (14.80).
Snyder teamed with Melissa Mainzer, Haley Ratchford and Colleen Doherty to finish eighth in the 4x800 in 9:53.41. McEnany teamed with Becca Patterson, Siobhan Lynch and Gillian Anthony to finish seventh in the 4x400 (4:02.07).
Berkeley Prep’s Addi Harden was second in the discus (124-2) and fourth in the shot put (37-2 ¾).
Robinson’s 4x800 relay of Julia DeYoung, Madison Scanlan, Aaliyah Gordon and Maddy Hull finished sixth in 9:47.47.
2A meet at Jacksonville
Girls
Team results: 1. American Heritage 87, 13. Berkeley Prep 16, 18. Holy Names 12, 21. Tampa Catholic 11,
26. Hernando, 29. Wesley Chapel 8, 29. Spoto 8, 34. Pasco 6, 34. Anclote 6, 39. Robinson 5
Individual results: High jump: 1 Boss (Suw) 5-06.00, 2 Prengaman (WC) 5-06.00, 3 Gauvey (Anc) 5-06.00; pole vault: 1 Carroll (TC) 11-00.00, 5 Vaughan, Emily (Rob) 10-00.00; long jump: 1 Folston (Coc) 19-03.75, 15 Dugan (Hud) 15-08.00; triple jump: 1 Smith (Rock) 37-09.00; discus: 1 Holifield (God) 139-04, 2 Harden (BP) 124-02, 3 Plaugher (Her) 116-09, 10 Pope (Pas) 98-09; shot put: 1 Bullock (East) 42-11.75, 4 Harden (BP) 37-02.75, 6 Plummer (Her) 37-00.25; 4x800: 1 American Heritage (Alexander, Veve, Williams, Rogers) 9:21.04, 6 Robinson (DeYoung, Scanlan, Gordon, Hull) 9:47.47, 8 Holy Names (Mainzer, Ratchford, Doherty, Snyder) 9:53.41, 14 Nature (Burchhardt, Lacy, Deligio, Perlingieri) 10:26.39, 16 Gulf (Buckman, Savino, Patnode, Gazda) 10:28.51; 100 hurdles:
1 Kerrison (Jone) 13.86, 6 McEnany (AHN) 14.80; 100: 1 Hill (LHP) 11.72, 3 Steele (Pas) 11.92; 1,600: 1 Rogers (AH) 4:59.39, 9 Snyder (AHN) 5:14.68; 4x100: 1 Godby (Andrews, Crump, Evans-Jenkins, Wilson) 46.94; 400: 1 Parrish (AH) 55.06, 2 Caldwell (Spo) 55.73, 8 Washington (TC) 58.61, 14 Patrick (Her) 1:00.35; 300 hurdles: 1 Lovett (Jack) 42.96; 800: Rogers (AH) 2:12.08, 6 Price (BP) 2:17.83; 200: 1 Spaulding (AH) 23.59; 3,200: 1 Montgomery (PC) 11:01.86, 3 Snyder (AHN) 11:24.90, 13 Hull (Rob) 11:45.83; 4x400: 1 American Heritage (Alexander, Dooling, Williams, Parrish) 3:50.29, 7 Holy Names (Patterson, Lynch, Anthony, McEnany) 4:02.07
Boys
Team results: 1. Lakewood 67, 2. Miami Washington 66, 11. Jesuit 16, 25. Pasco 8, 30. Berkeley Prep, 7.50, 33. Robinson 6, 33. Anclote 6, 46. Nature Coast 3, 55. Middleton 1, 55. Gulf, 1
Individual results: High jump: 1 Campbell (Wal) 6-04.00; pole vault: 1 Catchur (Jes) 14-06.00, 7 McDonald (BP) 13-00.00, 10 Swanson (Rwd) 12-06.00, 13 Hughes (Jes); long jump: 1 Griffin, Shaquem (Lwd) 23-05.00, 2 Grant (Pas) 23-02.50, 6 Griffin, Shaquill (Lwd) 22-08.75, Hambrick (Mid) 21-09.50; triple jump: 1 Griffin, Shaquill (Lwd) 49-05.50, 2 Griffin, Shaquem (Lwd) 49-03.00, 15 Sampson (NCT) 40-02.00; discus: 1 Theus (Bol) 166-08; shot put: 1 Jones (MP) 58-05.25, 4 Taylor (Jes) 52-05.00, 8 Jackson (Jes) 51-03.75, 12 Scaife (Pas) 47-09.50; 4x800: 1 Lake Nona (Lovack A, Peralta, Lovack J, Velez) 8:00.40, 8 Robinson (Stanford, Peters, Jurski, Rogers) 8:13.20, 12 Nature Coast (Hessler, Harkless, Van Natter, Cicone) 8:23.46, 14 Middleton (Cassell, Derogene, Dean, White) 8:29.97; 100 hurdles: 1 Tucker (AH) 13.95, 2 Holmes (Lwd) 14.18; 100: 1 Myrtil (Jon) 10.63; 1,600: 1 Yarborough (BK) 4:20.89, 3 Guerette (Anc) 4:22.42, 8 Buliga (Gulf) 4:25.12; 4x100: 1 Washington (McPhee, Patten, Hopkins, Norris) 40.86, 2 Lakewood (Hays, Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, Boykins) 41.01, 6 Nature Coast (Breida, Vincade, Villaizan, Smith) 42.37; 400: 1 Larry (Wash) 47.16; 300 hurdles: 1 Holmes (Lwd) 37.98; 800: 1 Jackson (Dun) 1:55.42, 5 Rogers (Rob) 1:56.30, 11 Persha (Lwd) 2:00.20; 200: 1 Strainge (AH) 20.97, 5 Boykins (Lwd) 21.69, 9 Moate (22.12); 3,200: 1 Pedraza (GG) 9:33.67, 3 Borland (BP) 9:40.96, 14 Buliga (Gulf) 10:10.62; 4x400: 1 American Heritage (Gibson, Strainge, McFadden, Herbert) 3:14.28, 3 Lakewood (Persha, Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, Holmes), 8 Robinson (Peters, Preister, Baldwin, Hosley) 3:23.49