Potter puts pole vault title at top of resume
Greg Potter looked right at home in his first trip to the District 3 Championships, winning the Class AAA boys pole vault title on Friday.
The Red Lion junior cleared 14 feet, 9 inches to add a district title to his quickly-growing list off accomplishments. He placed second at the Penn Relays last month and won the YAIAA title last week.
“Being able to grow as a vaulter is my biggest accomplishment," Potter said. "I just feel like the higher I go, the prouder I feel of myself.”
Potter missed most of last season with a back injury, but has gained nearly four feet on his vault since this time last year by training at VaultWorX year round. His personal record is 15 feet, and he came close to clearing 15-3 late Friday. He'll have another shot at a new personal record at next week's PIAA Championships.
“I think I had some pretty good shots at 15-3," he said. "I’m proud of my jumps. Hopefully I’ll go even higher next week, I want the highest I can go for the season.”
Corbitt, Elliot medal in girls pole vault: Spring Grove's Nathalie Elliot landed in the pole vault pit, staring up a rattling bar.
She breathed a big sigh of relief as that bar eventually came still and stayed put, giving her a personal record vault of 12 feet and securing her spot in next week's state championships.
“I just thought, ‘oh my God, please don’t fall down again for the millionth time, please,’" Elliot said laughing. "My second thing was to get off as fast as possible, before it could fall down.”
That vault earned Elliot a fourth-place medal and her first trip to the state championships, where she'll be joined by York Cunty Tech senior Lauren Corbitt. Corbitt, a York Catholic student who competes for the Spartans, also cleared 12 feet, earning her second place. Corbitt, a first-year pole vaulter, won the YAIAA title with a leap of 12-0.25 last week.
“I really liked it, it was fun having the bigger crowd," she said of her first appearance at districts. "The warm weather was nice for once, too.”