High Point University announces Vesper Makes Podium at National Championship Debut

From March 10, 2023 post.

Rachel Vesper finished as a First Team All-American in the women's pole vault in her first National Championship meet. Sydney Horn and Mackenzie Horn also finished as Second Team All-Americans at the NCAA Championships.

Coach Scott Houston: "It's a wonderful day, Rachel came in here and had no misses all day long. She jumped one centimeter below her personal best which she set three weekends before a national championship. And it's a wonderful story, a walk-on to an All-American. You're always going to tell those stories and appreciate her hard work and everything she's done to accomplish what she did today."

Vesper cleared opening height at 4.10m while Sydney Horn elected to pass to the second bar.

Both Vesper and Horn cleared 4.20m with ease on their first attempts to continue on with the competition. Horn would go out on the next bar, finishing 12th overall.

Vesper once again cleared 4.30m on her first attempt as one of the final 11 vaulters.

Continuing the trend, Vesper cleared 4.35m easily on her first attempt, just one centimeter off her personal best (4.36m).

Vesper finished seventh after three attempts at 4.40m, becoming HPU's fifth First Team All-American in as many seasons.

Head coach Mike Esposito: "Not the result we were hoping for, but certainly very, very proud of Rachel. Proud of all three of them for getting (to a national championship), which is an incredible accomplishment. Proud of Coach Houston, he does an amazing job. I think this is just going to light a fire for these young ladies moving forward to outdoors. And in Texas, I pretty much guarantee the result is going to be different."

Up Next: The trio of pole vaulters will join the rest of the High Point track and field squad to open the outdoor season with the Bill Webb/Bob Davidson Memorial meet in High Point next weekend, March 17th-18th.

#DefendTheTeam x #GoHPU

Original source can be found here.