How high can she fly? Defending champion beats her best, takes aim at state record.
Lafayette pole vaulter Sarah Ferguson had just jumped higher than she ever has in competition, but she’s most excited about how much higher she can go.
“I think I’m going to jump high this year,” Ferguson, a junior, said after her career-best clearance of 13 feet, 1 inch Monday at the Class 3A, Region 6 track and field championships at Bryan Station High School.
The jump topped her previous official best by an inch and destroyed her 2019 state title-winning mark of 12 feet, 6 inches. Monday’s jump is just 2 inches off the state meet record.
“The poles, they’re not even the longest poles we’re going to jump on (at state). Those are 13-7s, and I was running out of grip,” Ferguson explained. “So, when we get the 14s in this week, we’re going to work on those before state.”
As her competitors attempted lower heights, Ferguson passed until only Henry Clay’s Elliott Pennell set her best mark at 11 feet, good enough to qualify for state along with Ferguson. Ferguson made her first attempt at 12 feet and cleared it easily to clinch the victory before trying for her personal best.
Lafayette sweeps regionals
Ferguson’s effort was just part of a sweep of the boys’ and girls’ region track titles for Lafayette under Coach Leslie Davis, whose balanced teams won eight events overall with numerous point-grabbing top-six finishes.
“You can just see on their faces how happy they are,” Davis said as her team celebrated with their region trophies. “It’s been a tough year and an emotional week with graduation and proms and then our seniors showed up today to help lead the team to two big victories.”
Seniors Nolan Polston, Lucas Doneghy and Will Cahill joined junior Daniel Whitaker for the boys’ win in the 4-by-800 relay. Cahill also won the 1,600 meters and took second in the 3,200. Doneghy earned points with his fourth-place finish in the 400.
Victoria Holliday, a senior, anchored the winning girls’ 4-by-800 relay for the Generals that also featured Lafayette junior basketball standout Anaya Brown, freshman Campbell Tippey and junior Meredith Wilson. Brown and Holliday finished 1-2 in the 800. Tippey and Holliday finished 1-2 in the 1,600.
In the field events, Lafayette junior Javon Adams won the triple jump and finished 2-3 with senior Connor Ignacio in the long jump behind Frederick Douglass’s Isaiah Allen.
The meet began with Lafayette winning both the boys’ and girls’ 4-by-800s and ended with the boys’ 4-by-400 Lafayette team earning a surprising state qualifying second place.
“I believe in these kids. They come out and run for each other and you can see it in the relays,” Davis said. “I’m not sure they thought they would have a state-qualifying 4-by-4 in them for that, but they just ran their hearts out.”
Ferguson also earned points for her team with fourth-place finishes in both the 100 hurdles and the long jump. She will have to wait to see if her marks in those events are good enough to earn spots in next month’s state championships at the University of Kentucky.
The top-two finishers in each event of all the state’s various regions qualify for the state championships. In addition, the next 10 best marks/times in each event statewide earn state bids.
The other regional competitions in each of the state’s three classes are being conducted over the next week. Lexington Christian and Sayre compete in Class A, Region 5 on Monday in Danville. Lexington Catholic competes in Class 2A, Region 4 on Tuesday in Paris.
In the girls’ team standings, Lafayette came in first with 84.2 points to Woodford County’s 70. Bryan Station, Tates Creek and Henry Clay rounded out the top five. In the boys’ standings, Lafayette led with 104.5 points to Frederick Douglass’s 93.5 with Scott County, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Woodford County completing the top five.
Ferguson looks forward
With school out in the two weeks before the state championships June 10-12, Ferguson planned to travel with her personal coach to Jonesboro Ark., to train at Bell Athletics with Olympic vaulter Earl Bell, who held the world record (18 feet, 7 inches) for a time in 1976 and is now a renowned coach.
“We’re going to spend the weekend down there and then come back … and just tune everything up and be ready to go,” Ferguson said. “I’m pretty confident, but I don’t even know if I know what I can do, yet. We’ll put it together.”
Full results: The complete Class 3A, Region 6 track and field results can be found online at KHSAA.org/track.
Coming this weekend: Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Mario Paul ranks as one of the top high school hurdlers in the nation and has committed to run for track legend Leroy Burrell at No. 17 Houston.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 7:39 AM.
