COLUMBUS — Kennedy Howard couldn’t say she exceeded expectations Saturday.
But the Mount Vernon junior didn’t have any specific goals going into the state track and field championships.
Howard finished fourth in the Division I girls pole vault competition on a sun-soaked Saturday afternoon at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. She cleared a personal-record 12 feet, 4 inches, much to her own surprise.
“I honestly didn’t come in with expectations, but I’m happy with what I did,” Howard said. “I wanted to clear 12 feet, so to get 12-4 is really good for me. It’s a four-inch PR.”
After clearing the opening height of 11 feet on her first attempt, Howard missed her first two tries at 11-6. She made it over on her final try, then cleared 12 feet on her second attempt. She made it over 12-4 on her first attempt to secure a podium finish and All-Ohio honors.
“I didn’t even know All-Ohio was a thing,” Howard said. “It means a lot to me.”
Howard wasn’t the only Knox County pole vaulter to reach the state podium. Fredericktown’s Brandon Hogg finished eighth on Friday with a vault of 14-6.
“Honestly I hoped to get a little bit higher,” Hogg said. “But to come here and medal as a senior, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Hogg’s Fredericktown teammates, junior Ella Bouton, took sixth in the shot put with a throw of 41-0.75. Bouton was second at state as a sophomore with a throw of 41-10.75.
“I just didn’t throw as far as I wanted to today,” Bouton said. “I was a little disappointed, but I got here and I got on the podium so I can’t complain too much.”
