Former Eagle Pole Vaulter Nageotte Continues To Soar

As has been the case in the entirety of the sports world, circumstances forced Katie Nageotte's schedule to change in the year 2020.

That change, however, turned out to be a very good thing for Nageotte, the former Ashland University All-American pole vaulter. Despite competing in the just four outdoor events this summer, Nageotte not only won all four, but in her last competition on Aug. 1 at Life College in Marietta, Ga., she turned in a personal-best vault of 4.92 meters.

That PR puts Nageotte, 29, sixth all-time in world outdoor women's pole vault history, and third all-time in United States outdoor women's pole vault history. That mark is the best in the world outdoors in 2020, 0.09 meters ahead of Sweden's Michaela Meijer, who vaulted 4.83 meters in Sweden on the day of Nageotte's PR.

"Pretty amazing," Nageotte said. "I have been attempting that bar for two years now. I jumped 4.91 in 2018. Ever since then, any time I've cleared 4.80, I would try to clear that bar. Pretty great, needless to say."

The COVID-19 pandemic has kept Nageotte from competing a full schedule this year, and has kept her from competing overseas. It also prevented her from attempting to make Team USA for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which now are the 2021 Summer Olympics, July 23-Aug. 8 in Tokyo, Japan.

"The competition schedule has changed completely," said Nageotte. "I won't be going to Europe. Usually, we start competing in April outdoors, and I didn't have my first meet until July. Olympic trials and Olympics were supposed to happen, so everything looks different. It's been different, but we've kept it as normal as we possibly could.

"Before it (the Olympics) got canceled, I kept saying, 'I am going to be so upset if this gets postponed or canceled.' It was a feeling of, this is the hand we've been dealt, we're going to make the most of it. Every preseason that I've had with my coach has helped me exponentially. I've gotten better, so this was one long preseason, and clearly, the results are showing. All things considered, I would have loved to have made the team this year, but as an alternative, it's not too bad."

Nageotte won two NCAA Division II national championships in the pole vault in 2013 – one indoors and one outdoors, and was a three-time All-American at Ashland. Since then, her yearly progression has been steady – to the point where Nageotte now can set her sights on reaching 5.00 meters, something only two women in the history of outdoor pole vault, Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva in 2009 (5.06m) and America's Sandi Morris in 2016 (5.00m), have accomplished.

"Each year, I've just had this pretty consistent upward trajectory, and I don't feel like I've peaked by any means," Nageotte said. "I think this (year) set me up with a great foundation for next year.

"Five meters is the American record. I went for 5.01, and I took three good attempts, but the third one, by far, was my best attempt. My hips were up there. My body was over the bar, but then my chest knocked it down. We just have to clean everything up and make it as good and consistent as possible."

Nageotte has made a fairly rapid ascent from NCAA Division II champion to one of the top women's pole vaulters in world history. And she never forgets where she came from.

"It's wild. I've always believed in myself, but until it's really happening, you can't grasp it," she said. "Ashland set me up and gave me the foundation to be here. When I transferred in, I had a horrible mental block. I think a lot of people thought I should quit. (Former AU pole vault coach) Denny Steele was so wonderful and patient. Ashland definitely started it all, but it's pretty cool to think of the difference 7-8 years make."