Bishop of Anderson County wins state championship in pole vault

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 a.m.

Anderson County sophomore Brittany Bishop won the state championship in the girls’ pole vault on Wednesday.

Bishop cleared 12 feet at the 2017 TSSAA Girls’ Track State Championships at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

She had been the second-seeded pole vaulter, behind senior Taylor Pickett of Brentwood.

Pickett finished second on Wednesday. She also cleared 12 feet.

Bishop had a miss at 11-06, but then she and Pickett both cleared 12 feet. But Bishop did it first. Pickett missed it on her first of three tries.

Bishop and Pickett were the final two jumpers starting at about 11 feet.

Anderson County Coach Al Rodd said Bishop has led pole vaulters for much of the year, but Pickett had recently passed her, clearing 12-02 and 12-04. Bishop had cleared 12 feet at the Dale Legg Invitational earlier this year.

In February, Bishop cleared 10-06 at an indoor meet sponsored by Knoxville Youth Athletics against Pickett, who cleared 12 feet there.

Bishop works with Olympian pole vaulter Tim Mack in Knoxville.

She was introduced to the pole vault as a seventh-grader at Norris Middle School while participating in summer track. She really took it on in eighth grade and was able to compete in AAU, Rodd said.

“She’s worked hard,” Rodd said.

Bishop had qualified for the state pole vault championship event on Wednesday by finishing first, clearing 11-06, at the Section 1 AAA Championship at Hardin Valley Academy on Saturday, May 13.

She also qualified for the state track meet in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles by placing first at the sectional on May 13 with a time of 15.75. The state championship races in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles are at MTSU today (Thursday, May 25), with running events starting at 3 p.m. Central time. Bishop is ranked 8th out of 16 girls.

Another Anderson County sophomore is also competing in the state track meet. Maddy Moody placed third in the 1,600-meter run at the Section 1 AAA Championship on May 13 and will compete at state for the Mavericks. The top four finishers in sectional events advanced to the state track meet.

Rodd said Anderson County won the state track team championship in 2000, and the Mavericks were state runner-up in 2001 and state runner-up in 2008.

The last state champion was Alex Sain in 2008 in the pentathlon and triple jump, when Anderson County, which is now Class AAA, was Class AA.

Oak Ridge had 13 Wildcats qualify for this week’s state track meet in seven events. Eight of them will compete in the girls’ events today and five will compete in the boys’ events on Friday. You can the state track meet schedule here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

 

 

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