Sock’s Zurich aiming high in pole vault this week at Shippensburg
Loyalsock sophomore Hailey Zurich is capable of clearing 12 feet in the pole vault.
She knows it. Her coaches know it. Even her competitors know it.
Zurich has done it a few times at practice, but she has yet to in competition, whether it’s at a dual meet, a league meet or the district championships.
She tried her best last Saturday at the District 4 Track and Field Championships at setting a new PR at 12-0, but Zurich came up shy on all three of her attempts.
“I think I just need that little extra push, drive for me. I feel like I probably could’ve had it if I wouldn’t have wasted two jumps with terrible runs,” Zurich said. “But if the runs are on and the shift’s good, then I think I can make something of it.”
That little extra push may come thanks to competing with the state’s best pole vaulters at Shippensburg University on Saturday. Or maybe from the large crowd cheering her and others on once the competition starts.
Regardless, Zurich is hoping she clears the bar at 12-0, no matter what way she gets that extra push.
“It’d mean everything, nothing better,” Zurich said with a laugh of clearing 12 feet.
District 4 champion Katie Jones of South Williamsport has mentored for Zurich, forming a friendship with her and giving her tips and advice while vaulting. Not bad to get advice from the state record holder and someone who will compete at Penn State next spring.
“We’ve gotten really, really close especially in last couple months. It’s really awesome, she’s one of my best friends and just to have her here, it’s awesome,” Jones said after competing with her Saturday.
After every vault the two did on Saturday, you’d see Jones and Zurich huddled around an iPad with their coaches, looking over their vaults and seeing what they did well or what they could improve on. They both always want to improve their vaults and constantly get better.
“(She gives advice) all the time,” Zurich said. “She’s one of biggest coaches in my life.”
“I like just give her a confidence boost, like ‘yeah, yeah’ and agree with what (VaultWorX coach) Matt (Concannon) says. I know she does same for me. We hug after every jump. We spend a lot of time together,” Jones said.
And even Jones knows Zurich has the talent and ability to clear that 12 feet mark. She wants to see her friend hit that mark at Shippensburg.
“She just needs to make a few adjustments going into state meet. I think she can make 12, 12-6. She’s cleared 12 in practice before,” Jones said. “She’s only a sophomore. That’s awesome. I know she’s going to clear some really big heights and hopefully break some of my records.”
Zurich’s 11-6 mark, which she set at the Molly Dry Memorial Invitational in April at Mansfield University and also cleared at the District 4 meet last weekend, has her tied for 12th in the state overall in both Class AA and AAA.
She has the third-best height in the Class AA field, which she competes in. The only competitors who have cleared higher marks than Zurich in Class AA is Wilmington’s Julia Strobel at 11-9 at the District 10 meet and of course the defending state champion, Jones, who cleared 13-7 at districts for the new state record.
Last year as a freshman, Zurich took fourth at the state meet with a winning height of 11-0. She was also the only freshman last year that competed in the finals.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Michelle Karabin took second last year with a height of 12-0, so if Zurich could set that new PR on Saturday, it’d all but assure her a place near the top of the podium stand.
Zurich’s 11-6 is tied for the third-best seeded height at the state meet alongside Towanda’s Ally Tama. Wilmington’s Julia Strobel is seeded second with a height of 11-9 and Jones has the top height of 13-7 entering Saturday.
If Zurich could clear 12-0, it would also help her qualify for the Emerging Elite Outdoor Nationals competition, something she said she wants to be able to get into.
“That’s the main goal, but you have to take it one bar at a time, so we’ll see what happens,” Zurich said.
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