Middletown senior pole vaulter Ava Allen aims for Maryland all-time record
MIDDLETOWN, Md. — Ava Allen looked down the runway toward the pole vault bar at the end. It was set at a height higher than she had ever vaulted before. She began her approach. She planted the pole. And then she made history.
Last June, at the Maryland State Track and Field State Championship, Middletown High School senior Ava Allen broke the state record for pole vaulting.
“I kind of forgot that it was even a record. My sophomore season my coach and I had talked about it, but this past season we didn’t mention it,” Allen said. “So when everyone was cheering after I cleared it, I thought they were just really excited I cleared the bar, not because it was a record or anything.”
The previous record was 12’4”. Allen set it at 12’7”. Previous to the meet, Allen had battled an injury. “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to jump at the state meet at all. My focus was just making it to the state meet and qualifying,” she said.
The record-setting meet was just one of Allen’s championships. Allen has won pole vault at the New Balance National, two indoors state championships, and one other time outdoors.
Allen hopes to break another record this year, the Maryland all-time record. She said, “ Yes, my goal is to break the Maryland all-time record this year. I think the record is 13’4.25”, so I plan to jump a personal best of 13’6” this season and be consistent at 13 feet.”
In addition to pole vaulting, Allen plays soccer and is on the new all-girls flag football team. “Pole vault is my main sport. Most of my life soccer was my main sport, but after my sophomore year, I was 100 percent sure I wanted to go to college for pole vault,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to go to college for a sport; originally it was soccer, but in high school it evolved from track to just pole vault.”
Allen hopes to continue her athletic career in college. “I’m planning to pole vault in college and right now my top two schools are Clemson and Penn State,” she said. “I plan to study zoology and animal veterinary sciences.”
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