The pole vault must be one of the most difficult events in track and field. Imagine running down a long path with a 10- to 17-foot-long pole made out of fiberglass or carbon fiber stuck out in front. Then at the right time its placed into a slot in the ground, called the box, and youre sprung heavenward with the goal of having enough coordination to stick your feet straight up in the air, pushing off the pole enough to bend your body over a small metal bar, release the pole and fall downward into a big cushion. Hopefully, you never touched that horizontal bar suspended more than 10 feet in the air.

It takes strength and coordination to do this. Few can accomplish the goal. Most are likely too chicken to try.

Not Abigail Wagner. The Pleasant Grove High School senior not only pole vaults well, but shes the favorite to win the event in this weeks Sac-Joaquin Section Master Track and Field Meet in Davis.

This spring Wagners best vault of 12 feet, three inches has been the best in the Section. Now, the Boston University signee thinks if she can repeat that jump she may punch her ticket to the CIF State Track and Field Championships, May 26-27 at Buchanan High School. That mark is the minimum vault needed to be at least an at-large entrant into the State meet.

Her coach, Tony Gates, called Wagner a type of a trailblazer for his excellent track program at Pleasant Grove because there are now several underclassmen following in her footsteps at the pole vault pit.

She is a fixture on the team, Gates said during Thursdays Letter of Intent ceremony for all Pleasant Grove athletes. When kids look to her, they react, Well, I better do it, too. Weve been able to build a strong pole vault program with Abby at the center. Our pole vault program has become the top of the Section. We have a phalanx of younger pole vaulters in the program that are younger Abbys.

Wagners leap of five feet, 3.25 inches in the high jump this spring has been one of the best in the Section in that event, too. She had to scratch from that event in this weeks Division I meet because it conflicted with an AP Physics exam. Its one of the hazards of a spring sports athlete. Those kind of exams cannot be postponed nor made up.

A former basketball player, she says the pandemic almost forced her to change sports and go out for the track team.

COVID shut down all indoor sports and I was originally a basketball player and basketball got shut down and I decided to join track and field, Wagner said. I went to high jump to improve my vertical for basketball and I ended up doing pole vault, almost as a joke.

Her parents said shes so long and lanky, she should try it. Wagner did and has had success.

I ended up loving it so much I didnt go back to basketball, she said.

Whether she wins a medal or not this season at either the Masters or the State meet, Wagner has her career goals set she wants to get into bioengineering as a student at B.U.

I want to get into synthetic organs, she explained. Instead of an organ transplant, I want to create technology that can 3D-print organs that can be used in a transplant.

But, before she heads into that burgeoning field of medicine, there are a few more sprints down the runway carrying her pole. If she can equal or even top her best vault at the Masters, she thinks shell win the event.

I think could win it with low 12s (feet), as long as I have a clean slate and no misses, Wagner said. But, if I jump mid- to high-12s Ill for sure get it.

Division I Track and Field Championships - Results

(local athletes)

Boys Triple Jump - Jordan Redmond (Franklin) 3rd, 39-6.5

Girls Discus - Amanda Javellana (Pleasant Grove) 1st, 109-06; Elizabeth Byars (Cosumnes Oaks) 3rd, 98-03.

Boys High Jump - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 6-02.

Girls Pole Vault - Abigail Wagner (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 11-11.

Girls 4x100m relay - Franklin 2nd, 49.03

Girls 100m hurdles - Addy Velasco (Pleasant Grove) 4th, 15.66

Boys 400 meters - Elias Weathers (Cosumnes Oaks) 2nd, 49.41

Girls 100 meters - Aniaya Bishop (Cosumnes Oaks) 2nd, 12.12; Favour Iyasere (Pleasant Grove) 5th, 12.36

Boys 100 meters - Ian Dossman (Franklin) 1st, 10.52; Kalil Powers (Cosumnes Oaks) 3rd, 10.85

Girls 800 meters - Lilly Escorcia (Elk Grove) 1st, 2:15.15; Theone Divinagracia (Franklin) 4th 2:17.87

Boys 300m hurdles - Stephen Dahdouh (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 39.71; Matthew McHale (Pleasant Grove) 4th 41.18

Boys 200m - Ian Dossman (Franklin) 1st 21.42; Andrew Bishop (Cosumnes Oaks) 4th 22.35

Boys 3200m - Matthew McDonald (Cosumnes Oaks) 7th, 9:44.96

Girls 4x400m relay - Franklin, 3rd 4:02.06

Boys 4x400m relay - Cosumnes Oaks, 1st 3:22.05

Boys Pole Vault - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 7th, 13-00

Girls High Jump - Favour Iyasere (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 5-04

Boys Discus - Luke Stuckey (Pleasant Grove) 2nd, 127-08

Boys Long Jump - Sean Rowing (Pleasant Grove) 5th, 19-05

Read more from the original source:
Wagner pole vaults her way into track and field post-season - Elk Grove Citizen