It didn't take long for Conrad's Breauna Erickson to qualify for state in the event she won at the state meet last year.
Erickson, the defending girls pole vault champion from Class B, cleared 9 feet, 11 inches in her first meet of the year at the Cut Bank Pre-Easter Invite, but she's looking for even more. She won state last year with a mark of 11-0 and wants to go even higher this year.
"I've been going up a foot each year, so I'm hoping to try and get 12 this year," said Erickson, who also won the triple jump in Cut Bank. "I know that the farther you go up, the harder it gets. So I just set my goals high."
Not only did Erickson get the best pole vault mark at the Cut Bank meet, it was the first time she's been out pole vaulting since last year with the weather. She said: "We haven't been outside at all, so we mostly just do sprints inside and on the street. It was good for the first meet, I'd say."
With the state qualifying mark at 9-0, Erickson is already locked in for this year's state meet in just one outing this year. With both the temperature and Erickson's marks rising, she wants to continue to improve her technique and make another run at state this year mostly.
"I'm trying to get better with the smaller things. Faster run, bigger plant," she said. "Work on technique. Mostly work on my turn. Mostly just smaller things to get on bigger poles and get higher."
Erickson's next opportunity to improve her mark will be Saturday at the Cal Wearley Memorial meet in Havre.
