By STEPHEN MAZZONE
Morey Sanders, founder of the Arkansas Vault Club, has coached many pole-vaulters over the last 12 years.
(Photo left by Don Rich, PennTrackXC.com)
But Sanders considers Mount Ida senior Andrew Irwin one of those rare breed of athletes that he’s worked with. And it’s not just because of what he can do with the pole, but his demeanor when the pressure is at its peak.
“He’s just a really calm kid,” said Sanders, also an assistant coach at his alma-mater Lake Hamilton. “If he makes a bar that he hasn’t done before, he may give a little fist pump. That’s about it. That’s one of the keys to his success. He is able to handle the pressure.”
Irwin encountered one of those high-stressed situations in New York on March 13 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals inside the packed quarters of the Armory. After Olentangy (Ohio) Liberty senior Joey Uhle cleared 17 feet on his first attempt, the Arkansas teen had one more chance left to make sure the event continued.
Irwin not only made the attempt, but went on to capture his first national title with a record-breaking vault of 17-3 ¾, a height that Uhle failed to make on his three tries.
“We got to the meet and his dad and I were nervous,” recalled Sanders, who is partners with Irwin’s father, Steve, at his Arkansas club. “Andrew was calmer than we were. He knew if he went out and did what he normally does, he was going to have a great day.”
Said the soft-spoken Irwin, about his crucial vault - “I just went to the back of the runway and thought about what I needed to do. I had to clear up the top of my vault. My legs were going everywhere.”
Irwin, bound for the University of Arkansas this fall on a track scholarship, has made a rapid progression to his elite status where he’s currently the top-ranked pole-vaulter in the country. A week prior to the New Balance meet, Irwin set a personal best of 17-6 ½ to win the Tri-Lakes Invitational, an outdoor competition in Lake Hamilton. He also won his second straight title at the Arkansas 1A-4A Indoor Championships in February, clearing 17-4 ½.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Irwin got his first taste of one of track & field's most exciting events while in elementary school. He was inspired to compete after watching the success of his older sister, Stephanie, who set several records during her high school career at Mount Ida, clearing 12-7 before she graduated and then 13-9 as a collegian at Arkansas.
“At first he was just dragged along to practice,” Sanders said. “He started jumping in fifth or sixth grade, doing drills. By the time he was in seventh grade, he was doing 11 feet. He had talent, but was slow down the runway. We were just waiting for him to physically mature.”
That growth came during his high school years where Irwin not only participated on the track & field squad, but was a starting receiver for the school’s football team and a guard for the basketball squad his first two years.
Irwin, who has won four state titles (indoor and outdoor) at Mount Ida and was a second-place finisher last year at the former Nike Indoor Nationals, cleared 13-1 as a freshman and 15-1 as a sophomore.
His junior year saw the biggest jump when he concluded his season with a then-best of 17-6 ¼.
Irwin’s decision to forego his passion of football and basketball by the time he reached the eleventh grade appeared to make the difference.
“We let him make up his own mind. I think he realized that (football and basketball) was something that wouldn’t be paying his way through college,” Sanders said. “It absolutely (helped). He knew that it was now the only thing he could work on all day. He could dedicate all his time and effort to being a better pole-vaulter.”
“It wasn’t too hard a decision,” Irwin said. “It took me a few games into the season. I missed it. But it worked out. I’ve come to terms with it.”
Irwin considers his win at the nationals one of the highlights of his career. There was also the Arkansas Meet of Champions last year when he cleared the 17-foot barrier for the first time. The meet attracts individual champions from all seven of the state’s divisions as well as a half-dozen more talented vaulters.
“That was pretty cool,” Irwin said. “The 17-foot barrier, it’s a pretty good barrier. It was a great feeling. Not many people can say they’ve jumped 17 feet or higher (in high school). It was a crazy day.”
En route to his victory at the Meet of Champions, Irwin cleared a short-lived PB of 16-9.
“The next day he did 17 feet. It’s a pretty big milestone,” said Sanders, who starred in the pole vault at Lake Hamilton and later achieved 17 feet for the first time at Arkansas State where he left the school with a best of 17-5. “That was a big deal for me breaking 17 feet. Very few people have broken that barrier.”
Irwin has developed his speed down the runway the last four years at Mount Ida. Sanders believes there’s one distinct area that his athlete has an edge over his competition.
“It’s his takeoff,” he said. “That’s his bread-and-butter. Everything he’s able to do at the top of his vault is all attributed to his take off; the moment he leaves the ground, that’s where he has the advantage.”
Irwin will be making his way to Dallas, Texas this Saturday, March 26 for the Jesuit Relays. He’ll then concentrate on the remainder of his season where he’ll be looking to defend his outdoor state crown and attain a coveted title at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina, June 16-18.
Without hesitation, Sanders is confident that Irwin is capable of clearing 18 feet before he heads off to college in less than six months.
“I know it’s within his reach,” he said. “I don’t want to jinx him and say he’ll definitely do it. But if everything falls right, he’s capable of doing it.”