Ciara Lipsey soars to pole vault record (Mo Southern)

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Ciara Lipsey soars to pole vault record



By Jim Fryar


jfryar@joplinglobe.com

The barrier had been mental.

A 12-foot vault looked sky-high to Ciara Lipsey when she starting competing for Missouri Southern’s track and field team.

No longer.

Lipsey soared to a school record last weekend, then shattered her own mark on Friday. The junior from Maize (Kan.) High School cleared 12 feet, 111/2 inches in the Bob Laptad/Bill Williams Invitational at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.

The vault made Lipsey an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division II national championships next month.

She had one good attempt at 13-3 in less-than-ideal conditions, battling a strong, occasionally swirling wind.

“I really don’t think there’s anything you can’t do,” Lipsey said in the afterglow of her vault. “It took a little while for me to come around and believe in myself. A lot of it was developing confidence. ... I never thought I would be an automatic qualifier for nationals.”

The combination of a more positive outlook and some serious work in the weight room made a huge difference, Lipsey said. On Friday, there was additional motivation, competing against some of the top college vaulters in the Midwest.

“What a big-girl jump,” said Patty Vavra, Southern women’s coach. “She made a difficult situation (wind) work to her advantage.

“That’s one of the great things about being a coach and being in athletics, you get to see people make these great strides. Ciara always has had the physical ability. Now she’s matured and she doesn’t let things like the weather or the height intimidate her. She came into this year knowing what she wanted to do.”

Now, Lipsey will have to re-evaluate her initial goals of clearing 12 feet and qualifying for nationals. She’s already an All-American after finishing eighth at the NCAA indoor meet in March.

The Lions used their invitational as a tuneup for the MIAA Championships, which start next Saturday at Hughes Stadium.

“We saw a lot of good things,” said Tom Rutledge, Southern men’s coach. “We’re young this year, but we’re getting there. We’re getting better.”

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Congrats to Ciara and her PV coach Russell Ellis!