High Point Pole Vaulters to Compete in NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
By High Point Athletics
Three High Point University women's pole vaulters compete for a national championship on Friday, March 10th, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Sydney Horn,
Rachel Vesper, and
Mackenzie Horn all qualified for the NCAA Championships with national top-16 marks in the event, with Sydney leading the trio with the third-best mark in the country at 4.50m.
NCAA Indoor Championships
Friday, March 10
th | 2:00 PM (MT)/4:00 PM (ET)
Albuquerque, N.M. | Albuquerque Convention Center
Watch | Live Results | Championship Information
Last Time Out
The HPU women's pole vaulters competed and swept the Big South Indoor Championships in Blacksburg, Virginia, on February 25th. Sydney Horn won the event with a mark of 4.50m, setting a new Big South record, HPU record, and personal best. Mackenzie Horn finished as the runner-up at 4.31m, her season-best which ended up securing her spot at the NCAA Championships. Rachel Vesper rounded out the podium after jumping 4.21m.
Sydney a Familiar Face at National Championships
Junior Sydney Horn has been a constant title contender at the national championships for both indoor and outdoor track since her freshman year at HPU, also becoming the program's first four-time All-American. She stormed onto the scene as a freshman at the indoor championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, by posting a personal-best mark of 4.41m after four regular season meets that saw her post marks between 4.19m-4.33m. Horn's mark was good for third at the indoor championships and propelled her into her first outdoor season. She won her first Big South Championship in the spring and qualified for the NCAA First Round (East Preliminary), where she placed seventh to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Horn again finished on the podium, placing sixth with a mark of 4.30m. A season ago, she continued her national championship appearances with a runner-up finish at the indoor championships and a school record (4.46m) and another sixth-place finish (4.35m) in Eugene at the outdoor championships.
Vesper Soars to New Heights, Makes Championship Debut
Sophomore Rachel Vesper began her career in the Purple and White in January 2021 as a freshman with marks that ranged between 3.20m-3.46m in the pole vault. Entering her sophomore season in December 2021, she posted a personal best by 15 centimeters (3.61m) and continued to climb. She reached 4.00m for the first time in February 2022 at the Virginia Tech Challenge and finished fourth at the Big South Indoor Championships the next weekend. By May, Vesper finished third at the conference's outdoor championships with a new career-best, 4.13m, good to qualify for the first round of the NCAA Championships (East Preliminary). In her final three meets of the 2023 indoor season, she has posted marks of 4.26m, 4.31m (career best), and 4.21m. Her top mark of the season at the Virginia Tech Challenge ranks 10th among NCAA Division I pole vaulters.
Mackenzie Makes Second National Championship Appearance
Graduate student Mackenzie Horn is making her second-straight appearance at a national championship meet after qualifying for the outdoor championships in Eugene last June. Horn posted a career-best 4.34m at the Big South Outdoor Championships last May, finishing second and securing her place at the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships (East Preliminary). She then cleared 4.31m at the meet and finished seventh, which qualified her for the national championships. Horn finished as a Second Team All-American with a mark of 4.20m for 11th place. In the last four meets of the 2023 indoor season, she has posted marks between 4.12m-4.31m, highlighted by her runner-up finish at the Big South Indoor Championships that secured her spot in Albuquerque.