Senior Allison Whitworth represents a breed of athlete she hopes doesn’t fade away this spring.
Whitworth, the only Mingus Union High School track and field athlete with three Division III state team championship rings, pole vaulted 8 feet, 6 inches to beat over 40 competitors and 133 other schools March 21 at the Nike Elite Rotary Invitational in Chandler.
“Me and one other girl were the only ones who cleared” the pole vault bar at that height, she said. “They took it up to 9 feet, 3 inches, instead of just nine like they usually do, and I hit it with my shoulder.”
Whitworth, also a tri-captain for the Marauders spiritline, was the only MUHS freshman to compete at State three years ago, where she finished fourth in the high jump.
“I actually three-stepped for the first time the other day,” she said. “That was really hard to do. I was pretty impressed.
“This is my first year doing the hurdles. Coach [Tiffany] Goettl told me I have the speed — I just need to work on the form.”
If Whitworth qualifies for State in the 100-meter hurdles, as she is trying to do, it would be her fourth event in which she will be competing. Whitworth, as a sophomore, was Division III runner-up with the Marauders’ 4×100 relay team — ranked this spring among the top eight in Division III.
“We’ve PR’d at every single meet we’ve gone to,” she said. “We’re trying to shave off a second or two more in order to get into the top three stalls at State.”
The fifth-fastest 4×100 relay runner in the state as a sophomore, Whitworth continues to work to boost her personal bests. She just returned from a three-hour pole vault clinic Tuesday, March 31, in Apache Junction.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 1, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
