San Antonio 2024 Pole Vault Preview

It took awhile, but we are finally at the end of the 2024 San Antonio track and field preview articles and under two weeks away from the start of the outdoor season. There could be multiple State champions among the local pole vault crew this year and they will be fun to watch.

6A Boys

San Antonio returns both State qualifiers from a year ago in Sam Abati of Reagan and Thomas Bucks of Johnson. Abati has already cleared 17-feet indoors this year and had an outdoor best of 16-4.75 last year when he finished as the State silver medalist. The Texas signee should be one of the best in the State once again this year. Bucks had a season best of 15-0 and consistently had chances at the height throughout the year.

Ryan Rush and Boone Partee of New Braunfels will both be competing with Bucks for that second spot at Regionals. Rush finished third last year with a height of 14-6 while Partee had a season best of 14-0. After the top four there are five others returning who cleared at least 13-feet in 2023.

6A Girls

Region IV could be wide open this year with the top three from last year all graduating. Johnson's Lauren Taylor Fuentespina finished fifth at the Regional and has a top mark of 11-6 which could put her through to the State meet this year. Kayleigh Hoskins and Paige Beeghley of New Braunfels each cleared 11-feet last year and will likely be Taylor Fuentespina's biggest competition. Hoskins went 11-3 while Beeghley was the top freshman in the area last year at 11-0.

There are another five girls who have cleared 10-feet heading into the season.  Brennan's Anela Tejeda is the only one of the five to accomplish that feat at the Regional meet. Mireya Ruiz (Brandeis), McKenna Norris (New Braunfels) and Olivia Holman-Mathis (Reagan) all cleared 10-6 during the season. Brandeis freshman Charleigh Jacobs is another to follow after she cleared 10-10 indoors this year and 11-foot in middle school.

5A Boys

The top three returners are all 14-foot vaulters this year in 5A. Brooks Jones of Boerne Champion finished fourth at the Regional meet with a clearance of 14-6 while Brody Day of Smithson Valley cleared 14-0 as a sophomore last year. BC's Luke Rossi also cleared 14-0 last year but did not make it to Regionals thanks to a tough Area competition.

William Moffatt of Canyon and another vaulter from Champion, Landon Kolacny, both went over 13-0 last year. Moffatt was the top freshman in the Area with his clearance of 13-2. Pieper's Parker Hill was the only other 5A freshman to clear at least 12-0 in 2023.

5A Girls

Smithson Valley's Ella Pickron is the clear choice as the top 5A returner after a fifth-place finish at the State meet. The Colorado State signee had a season best of 12-6 and went at least 12-feet at four different meets. Pickron's new teammate, Sofia Mitschke, is the second best returner after jumping 11-6 in middle school last year.

Both Mada Aldridge of Medina Valley and Cassidy Henderson of Canyon cleared 10-feet at the Regional meet. Aldridge had a season best of 10-3 while Henderson's was 10-6. Boerne Champion's Peyton Smith also cleared 10-6 last year. There are three others who went 9-6 last year that could quickly move up to the 10-foot range.

4A Boys

Pleasanton's Preston Pilgrim will attempt to become a four-time State qualifier this year. His best finish came as a sophomore when he finished as the runner-up. Last year, he won the Region with a clearance of 15-0. He has already gone 15-9 in the indoor season so we can expect big things from him this year.

Last year, there were quite a few seniors in the area who competed at the Regional meet but only Pilgrim and Wimberley's Cash Toomey were local underclassmen. Toomey went 13-0 last year which was over a two-foot improvement from the previous year. If he keeps that up then he could compete for a State spot. His teammate, Charlie Hanle, could also be in the mix. Even though he only went 12-6 during the outdoor season last year he has already gone 13-7.5 and 14-2 during the indoor season this year.

4A Girls

With the graduation of Alencia Lentz, Region IV becomes wide open with many locals serving as challengers to be the next Queen of the Vault. La Vernia's Chloe McCloskey and Zoe Breitsprecher finished third and fourth respectively in the Region last year. Both have cleared 10-6 and will be two of the favorites in the Region.

Pleasanton's Layla Rodriguez went 10-0 last year and finished seventh in the Region. She is the only other returner who went 10-feet last year. There are three sophomores that showed something last year that could be in the mix as well: Shana Cutrer (Canyon Lake), Rilyn Grona (Fredericksburg) and Kelsey McCloskey (La Vernia).

3A Boys

There are very few 3A boys in general who are returning vaulters. Cole's Aiden Ayala has the top returning clearance of 9-6 while there were two freshmen, Dilley's Juan Garcia and Cole's Mateus Ogden who each went at least 8-0 in 2023.

3A Girls

The 3A girls are similar to the 3A boys in that there are few returners, however they do boast Marion's Maggie Rudisaile who was the Region champion and finished fifth in the State last year. She had a season best of 11-feet and will be the heavy favorite to win the Region again.

There are four others who cleared at least 8-0 last year including Jourdanton's Payton-Jo Puett who tied for seventh in the Region with a clearance of 8-6.

Other Boys

I am combining private schools, smaller public schools and homeschool athletes into one group. While the big TAPPS schools in the area are not as strong in the past, the smaller schools should make their mark. First on the list is Jace Bennet of Utopia who made the UIL 1A State meet last year and has a top clearance of 12-6.

The TAPPS 1A level features four locals who made the State meet last year. Top of the list is Fredericksburg Heritage's Bridger Welch was won tied for the State title with an 11-6 clearance. Universal City First Baptist Academy has three State qualifying returners in Preston Garner, Kamden Nugent and Adrian Hernandez. Brady Chandler of Geneva cleared 11-6 and finished sixth in TAPPS 4A. Antonian's Jared Pina is the top 'big school' returner after jumping 11-6 last year.

Other Girls

There is not a single superstar in this group, but Fredericksburg Heritage's Elaina Craven did win the TAPPS 1A State title with a clearance of 8-6. Her teammate, Ellie Shipman, also returns and she finished second in the State. UC First Baptist has two girls who can compete with the Heritage girls with Kolbi Gillispie and Allison Munnerlyn who each cleared 8-0 last season.