* Hana Moll cleared a new high school national record at the U.S. Outdoor Championships on Sunday
Photo Credit: USA Today
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EUGENE -- Hana Moll's penchant for astonishing moments at championship meets continued on Sunday at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.
The 18-year-old recent graduate of Capital High School in Olympia, Washington once again came up huge in a high stakes situation, finishing third in the women's pole vault with a mark of 4.61 meters, behind current World leader Katie Moon and Sandi Morris.
Moon raised her World lead to 4.90m and Morris posted a mark of 4.61m.
The result by Moll puts her in contention for a spot on the U.S. team headed to the World Championships in Budapest in August, though she would have to be added based on World ranking points.
MileSplit reached out to Moll's coach, Tim Reilly, and her mother, Paula, to ask about Moll's chances advancing to the World Championships. While official team selections will not become official until August 5, they said Hana will have a strong shot to make the team based on her standing. In the meantime, Moll has been selected for the NACAC Under 23 Championships, which take place from July 21-23 in San Jones, Costa Rica.
Hana has not declared her intention for either competition just yet.
Moll, the reigning World U20 champion and the runner-up from last year's U20 Championships here in Eugene, cleared 4.61 meters, which is a new high school outdoor national record -- at 15 feet, 1.5 inches -- and she did so on her first attempt after clearances at 4.36m and 4.51m.
She previously cleared 4.57m (15-0) at the Arcadia Invitational earlier in April, setting a new outdoor national record. She became the second girl over 15 feet at that point, joining her sister, Amanda, who cleared 15-1.5 at the National Pole Vault Summit in January.
The difference on Sunday?
Hana said afterward she felt it was the rhythm she developed during her initial run, and of the extra step she added to her count before the U.S. Championships.
Moll went from seven lefts to eight, she said, and that alone may have rocketed her above a level no high school girl has ever seen.
Only 20 women currently have hit 4.61 meters in the World, with Moll now being one of them.
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