Makenna Barton of Washington defended her conference title despite the rain. Photo by Cierra Hitner
As Makenna Barton planted her pole into the takeoff point on her first attempt of the night, the rainy conditions took control. She slipped and flew into the cushion, which braced her fall.
Following her tumble, nerves began to creep into the pole vaulter’s mind.
Barton said, “I made my first or second attempt and my coach said, ‘That wasn’t great jumping … I can tell you were tentative, but you were just trying to clear the bar and make sure you don’t slip again.’”
Her calculated approach proved successful.
As the event progressed, Barton grew more and more comfortable. She overcame the wet conditions and her initial mishap to win the Pac-12 title for the second year in a row. She jumped 13 feet, 2 ½ inches on her first attempt while the three other remaining competitors were unable to scale that height.
While her whole showing was rather rocky, Barton settled in when it mattered most and produced a smooth winning jump.
“I think the third attempt at [12-10 3/4], I finally was running aggressively and confident,” Barton said. “I think that last attempt gave me a lot of confidence going into the next bar.”
To win, Barton also had to exceed her own teammates’ performance.
Washington’s Ashleigh Helms finished second with an outdoor personal best of 12-10¾ . Helms was the first contestant to scale the third jump — where she earned that personal best.
Her presence also helped push Barton to win.
“We all push each other every day in practice,” Barton said. “So getting to push each other in a competition in such a positive way is so much fun.”
Together, Barton and Helms helped the University of Washington earn 21 total points in the women’s pole vault.
