SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - The preview on
the pole vault is the final in the series of preview articles for the San
Antonio Metro area. The San Antonio area has a few programs that consistently
produce top-notch pole vaulters and that holds true this year. I think this is
the event where coaching matters the most and it's not even close.
6A Boys
It should be a very competitive 6A boys pole vault this year and it would not be a surprise to see both State representatives come from the area. Sutton Davis of Clemens has the best outdoor returning jump of 14-6 but he will be challenged by Reagan's Samuel Abati and Johnson's Thomas Bucks. Bucks is the one to really take a look at because he has been improving at an incredible rate. Last year, he cleared 12-6 as a freshman, but then he jumped 14-0 in the summer and has already cleared 14-6 during the indoor season.
The next group of vaulters includes a pair of 13-foot jumpers in Zach Goyt of Brandeis and Cameron Gerald from Steele. After that there are five more jumpers who have cleared 12-feet.
6A Girls
New Braunfels consistently has a good group of vaulters and this year is no different. They return five girls who have all jumped over 10-feet, including Caressa Vajdos who was the bronze medalist at the State meet last year and had a top clearance of 13-3.5. Teammates Hallie Leinneweber (11-0) and Lauryn Leitgen (10-9) each rank among the top five returners in the area.
After the crew from New Braunfels, Johnson has a pair of excellent vaulters in Daniell Cantu and Lauren Taylor Fuentespina. Cantu has jumped 12-0 while Fuentespina has cleared 11-0. There are a total of five other vaulters who have cleared at least 10-feet.
5A Boys
Boerne Champion, Canyon and Smithson Valley always seem to have good pole vaulters and it is no exception this year. Champion's Luke Rossi is the only returner in the area who cleared a height at the Regional meet last year and he is the top overall returner with a 14-6 clearance. Rossi has a pair of teammates who have cleared 13-feet, Brooks Jones and Brock Lewis. Lewis has only pole vaulted at summer track meets and has never jumped during the Spring season in his career.
Canyon's Gideon Skolaut checks in as the second-best returner with a 13-9 best from last year while Leo Bowen from Alamo Heights is the final 13-footer in the group. Smithson Valley has three jumpers around 12-feet and Canyon has a second vaulter, Jacob Salmeron, at the same height.
5A Girls
Smithson Valley's Ella Pickron finished fourth in the Region at the 6A level last year and heads to 5A as the top choice in the area. She cleared 12-0 as a sophomore and will be one of the favorites to make it to State this year. A few others who have endured the pressure of the Regional meet are Madalyn Aldridge of Medina Valley and Victoria Baker of Alamo Heights. Aldridge finished ahead of Baker, but Baker has the higher season best from last year.
There are six vaulters who have cleared between 9-0 and 9-7 with three of them hailing from Boerne Champion. Canyon's Cassidy Henderson only jumped once last year but cleared 9-7. Another one to watch is Smithson Valley's Sammy Carroll. She plays on the basketball team and started vaulting in the Spring for the first time. She was clearing 9-0 by the end of the season.
4A Boys
There is a strong group of vaulters at the 4A level this year. The boys are led by Pleasanton's Preston Pilgrim who was the State Runner-Up and has jumped 15-7. Canyon Lake's Coby Mickey and Boerne's Bruce McCoy are the next contenders with each having cleared at least 13-feet.
Fredericksburg and Wimberley each boast four vaulters who have cleared at least 10-feet. Luke Rizzo of Fredericksburg and Logan Wilkinson of Wimberley are the best of the group with 12-6 marks. Will Keller of Fredericksburg is the final 12-foot vaulter in 4A this year, but I would expect no less than 10 athletes in the area to clear that height this year.
4A Girls
Canyon Lake's Alencia Lentz is committed to Baylor and is the top returner regardless of classification. She was the State Champion last year and cleared 13-6. She has already jumped 13-11.75 at an indoor meet this year so it will be exciting to see how high she can fly in 2023. She will likely only have real competition at the Texas Relays and the State meet this year.
There are four girls who have cleared 9-6 including a pair from La Vernia, Kailey McCloskey and Zoe Breitsprecher. The other two to have cleared the height are Kayuki Warren of Boerne and Peyton Celotto of Fredericksburg.
3A Boys
There are a minimal number of returning pole vaulters at the 3A boys level this year. Marshall Homeyer of Karnes City is the top returner. He has jumped 12-0, but did not even compete at the District meet last year. Natalia's Austin Sutton is the only other returner who has cleared at least 10-feet.
3A Girls
The 3A girls are similar to the 3A boys in that there are not many returning vaulters. Marion's Maggie Rudisaile is a good one to watch and should be one of the top contenders for a State berth in the Region. She jumped 11-0 last year and had nearly a foot of improvement over her freshman year in 2021. Cotulla's Jasmine De La Garza cleared 9-0 and Poth's Kenli Luna went 8-0 last year.
Other Boys
I am combining the private schools, smaller public schools and home school athletes into one group. There is no superstar in the group this year. Utopia's Dustin Rhodes is the top returner overall and is the favorite in Region IV-1A after jumping 11-6 last year. There are three other vaulters who cleared 11-feet last year: Elijah Chandler of Cornerstone Christian, Adam Fore of D'Hanis and Nicholas Zavala from St. Mary's Hall. There is another group of jumpers that have cleared 9-0 or 9-6.
Other Girls
There is a returning State Champion in this group. Madison Brantley of Fredericksburg Heritage was the TAPPS 1A champion last year after jumping 8-6, but is not the top overall returner. The best vaulter coming back this year is Antonian's Emma Pruitt. She cleared 10-1 last year. Ria Mehta of St. Mary's Hall jumped 8-6 and Elaina Craven of Fredericksburg Heritage went 8-0. Craven is also one of the best high jumpers around.
* Please note that all times are taken from the MileSplit website. There is always a possibility that someone I mentioned no longer competes for the school they did last year or that they are even competing in track and field anymore. These articles are just a very early preview of the upcoming season.
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