Meaders looking for gold ending to prep career

Texas –Days before competing in the Class 3A State Track & Field Meet, Nicholas Meaders can feel the competition nearing. “It’s a mix of being excited and nervous,” he said. “I’m getting ready to go.” Gatesville’s senior pole vaulter has a lot to prove as he looks to close out his high school career with a gold medal that has eluded him since 2012. As a sophomore, Meaders reached state, but did not produce a height. Since then, however, the Texas commit has refined his technique, developing into one of the state’s elite and breaking his own school record set earlier in the year by clearing 16 feet, 6 inches at the area meet. Now, Meaders is eager to make a statement on the state’s biggest stage. “Going back and jumping at a place where I have already jumped at always helps your confidence,” he said. “It is very important for me to win. It is what I’ve trained for this entire year.” Meaders enters with the event’s third-best seed mark at 15-6, but he knows it will take a much stronger showing to thrive at state. “It’s going to take anywhere from 16-6 to 17-6 or even higher to win,” he said. “It is within my reach, but it is going to take everything I’ve got.” more