Senior Chelsea Johnson has been at the top of the collegiate
pole vaulting world for so long that it came as a surprise to many
when her two-year-old record was broken earlier this year. Florida
State senior Lacy Jansen surpassed Johnson’s mark of 15 feet
even two weeks ago at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships,
clearing 15-0.25 to become the new record holder. Despite seeing
her record fall, Johnson views it as an opportunity to prove once
again that she is the nation’s top vaulter. “I’m
not really upset about it. Records are made to be broken,”
Johnson said. “It used to be that I could go 14-9 and be way
ahead of everyone.” After a subpar season last year, Johnson
has bounced back in impressive fashion. During the indoor season,
Johnson beat out Jansen for the national title and has consistently
cleared heights in the mid- to high-14-feet range all outdoor
season. Nevertheless, Johnson is still looking to reclaim the
collegiate record. “It’s good motivation,”
Johnson said. “I’ll definitely be looking to get the
record back this weekend and in the big meets coming up.”
Even though Johnson is no longer the record holder, she is still
ranked as the nation’s top pole vaulter ““ ahead of
Jansen ““ showing just how much respect she has garnered from
the track and field community.
MORE POLE VAULTERS: While Chelsea Johnson has
been making headlines this season, another Bruin has also quietly
been climbing the national ranks in the pole vault. Redshirt junior
Jackie Nguyen has emerged as one of the nation’s top vaulters
this season just a year after undergoing knee surgery which forced
her to miss all of last season. An All-American in 2004, Nguyen has
not only returned to form, but has gotten even better. This season,
Nguyen cleared a new personal best at 13-7.25 versus USC and is
currently ranked as the seventh-best pole vaulter in the
nation.
RANKING: The Bruins are currently ranked as the
tenth-best team in nation. The rankings are based on an estimation
of how athletes will place at the NCAA Championships in June.