NEW YORK STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Charles Villa first began pole vaulting in the spring three years ago as a freshman for Riverhead. Even in a sport that, by its nature, is difficult to begin as a youth, it was still a later start than for many of the top pole vaulters. “Ever since then I loved it,” Villa said of his introduction to the sport. “I had so much fun.” On Friday, Villa pole vaulted for the final time representing the Blue Waves. And with it, for now, came the end of an era. For the past several years, the Blue Waves have been flush with talented pole vaulters, from last year’s graduates Jonah Spaeth and Dan Normoyle, to Villa this year. Villa closed out his Riverhead career by accomplishing what his predecessors had done before him: earning all-state honors at the New York State Championships. Villa cleared 14 feet 6 inches to finish fifth overall in the federation competition, which combines all the competitors from each division and private schools. Among just public school pole vaulters, Villa finished third. The pole vault this year was an event of particular strength in New York. The fans who remained at Cicero-North Syracuse High School just past 7:30 p.m. nearly saw history when Fordham Prep senior James Deutmeyer attempted a state record 16-9. He narrowly missed on his last attempt, and had to settle for a personal record of 16-6, one inch shy of the meet record. Jordan Yamoah’s state record, set in 2011, is 16-8 3/4. He also owns the meet record of 16-7. As Villa packed up his equipment, he couldn’t help but marvel at his competitors as the bar reached 16. “Just looking at this, I really want to jump at this height right now,” he said. “It makes me want to push myself even more just to start jumping at this height.” Todd Uckermark of Warwick Valley cleared 16-3 to finish in second place. His teammate Derek Dibona topped 15-6 for third and Iona Prep’s Ryan Herrera-Murphy cleared 15-0 for fourth. Fordham Prep and Iona Prep both didn’t count toward the final public school standings, which vaulted Villa to third. more
