Over the past few years, it appeared that it was just a matter of time before Hunter Garretson broke-through and attained his first state championship victory in pole vault competition.
During the 2018 outdoor campaign, he came close with a second place showing, narrowly trailing Jett Murphy in the final standings. Murphy, a Covington grad, and Garretson both cleared 15-0 on that June day at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Stadium.
Garretson followed that performance with another runner-up finish at the 2019 indoor meet, where he again produced a 15-0 vault. On his return to the outdoor state championship that same year, he was third on the podium due to a 14-4 effort. However in the latest state-wide gathering, he would leave no doubt.
Back on March 7th at SPIRE, Garretson pocketed the D2/3 title with a 16-6 clearance, which was the top vault of the day (all divisions combined).
While it would be an overstatement to call 2020 a complete break-through year for Garretson, as he'd already proven himself to be a high quality vaulter, it's certainly true to say that he took his game to the next level this winter. He went undefeated during his half-dozen outings and was a model of consistency each time he suited-up.
Garretson's unblemished record included four winning vaults of 16-6 or higher and was complemented by a personal best 17-0 at the Akron Zips Last Chance Qualifier. The Newcomerstown senior finished the season ranked No. 1 in Ohio and No. 4 nation-wide.
Watch Hunter's 16-6 first place effort at the D2/3 state meet, courtesy of MileSplit Ohio's Shawn Conlon --
Coverage -
- Ohio's Pole Vault Rankings
- National Pole Vault Rankings
- D2/3 State Championship Coverage
- Hunter Garretson Career Progression