National leader for Baxter in indoor opener

Anaheim Canyon senior produces top mark by any female vaulter Saturday at National Pole Vault Summit; Rodriguez, Lightfoot and Bell are strongest male performers, with Nevada's Powers taking women's college competition

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Even a near-miss on what would have been the first 14-foot indoor clearance of her career, Anaheim Canyon CA senior Rachel Baxter demonstrated Saturday it's only a matter of time before she challenges the national high school indoor record this winter.

Baxter, representing Victory Athletics Pole Vault Club, cleared a national-leading 13-5 (4.08m) in her indoor season debut to win the top flight in the girls high school competition at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center, a mark that was better than the winning performances in every women's college and open competition.

After slipping before her plant and falling on the pit on the first attempt at 14 feet (4.26m), Baxter had her hips well over the bar on the second try, but brushed it on the way down. Her performance was still a personal-best effort indoors after clearing 13-4 (4.06m) in Reno last year.

Baxter, a Virginia Tech signee who set the California state outdoor record last year at 14-3 (4.34m), is scheduled to compete in two more indoor meets in Idaho and Washington. She'll be pursuing the 2007 indoor state record of 14-2.50 (4.33m) by Castilleja's Tori Anthony and possibly the 2015 national record of 14-4 (4.36m) by Tori Weeks of Cabot, Ark.

University of Nevada senior Alison Powers delivered a strong performance in front of the local crowd to win the top flight of the women's college competition with a personal-best indoor clearance 13-3.50 (4.05m).

Carmelita Correa and Alexandra Negrete, both representing Mexico's Club de Atletismo Eureka, also cleared 13-3.50 to win the top two women's open flights.

The best men's performance came from the top open flight, with former Texas Arlington standout Jeffrey Rodriguez clearing 17-4.50 (5.30m). Spain's Pau Tonneson, a former star decathlete at Arizona, and Canadian Derek Theodore both cleared 17-0.75 (5.20m).

KC Lightfoot of Lee's Summit MO and Matt Peare of Hoover OH both cleared 16-10 (5.13m) in the top boys high school flight, with Lightfoot prevailing based on one fewer miss overall.

Te-Ching Hsu, 17, set a new Taiwanese youth record by clearing 16-2.75 (4.95m), tying Griffin Kowal of New Kent VA, but prevailing in the second high school boys flight based on one fewer miss.

Curtis Bell of Aquinas College, an NAIA school in Michigan, won the top flight of the men's college competition by clearing 16-4.75 (5.00m).

Although two girls in Baxter's flight and four more in the second high school girls flight cleared 12-5 (3.78m) -- including winner Khristen Bryant of Columbia Independent MO -- there were two prep marks better in the third and fourth flights.

Madisyn Hawkins of James M Coughlin PA cleared 12-8 (3.86m) to win the third flight and Laurel Wong of Santa Catalina CA had a 12-6 (3.81m) clearance to capture the fourth flight.