COLUMBUS — Moments following her state championship in the pole vault Saturday, Maria Horrigan already was looking ahead to next season.
She was contemplating back-to-back titles, another shot at breaking the state and state-meet records, and significantly adding to her personal best.
For now, though, the Bowling Green junior will have to be happy with her impressive performance at the Division I state track and field meet.
She earned the championship with a personal-best vault of 12-10 1/4 to win by just more than seven inches.
By finishing in the top eight, she received All-Ohio honors.
Three other girls from Wood County high schools also had All-Ohio performances with third-place finishes.
They were Perrysburg’s Courtney Clody in the 800 and teammate Taylor Monheim in the 3,200 in Division I, and Rossford’s Regan Clay in the 400 in Division II.
Horrigan entered Jesse Owens Stadium as the prohibitive favorite and she vaulted well.
“It’s awesome coming out and performing the way I expected to,” Horrigan said. “I’m really proud of the outcome. Being a state champion proves my hard work has paid off. I’m extremely happy.”
She broke her own school record of 12-10 last week at the Amherst Steele regional. The vault was the best in the state this season and seven inches higher than any other during the regionals.
Only six of the 16 competitors cleared 12-0 or better Saturday.
After clearing 12-10 1/4, Horrigan moved the bar to 13-1/2 in an attempt to break the state and state-meet record of 13-1/4 set last season by Uniontown Green’s Morgan Estes, who graduated after last season.
Horrigan missed on all three attempts as the vaulters were jumping into the wind. She also tried to break the state record at the regional.
“I was tired at that point, but that’s my goal for next year,” she said. “Not getting that state record drives me even more for next year.
Horrigan was competing at state for the third time. She was third as freshman when she cleared 11-8, but only tied for 13th last season at 10-6.
Last season’s state finish served as motivation for this season. She increased her strength and conditioning and finished second at the indoor state meet with a vault of 11-9.
Her goal for next season is to clear at least 13-6.
“Being here for the third time gives me a sense of what I have to do and gives me the feel of what it’s like to compete here, so it’s nothing new,” Horrigan said.
