By Greg James |  [email protected] 

Copper Hills pole vault specialist Brielle Davis has fast become one of the best jumpers in the state of Utah.

As a freshman two years ago, Davis showed promise. Her coaches thought she had talent and potential. She was encouraged by a girl on her gymnastics team to give the pole vault a try. 

“She is killin’ it,” Utah Pole Vault Academy Director Kody Pierce said. “She is doing very well. Last season got taken away, but she has continued to train and worked so hard. She had a great season.” 

This spring, as a junior, she set a new state record on the way to earning a 6A state championship. 

“It is really cool,” Davis said. “I did not really think that I would do that by as much as I did. At the moment, it felt unreal. This has been something that I really enjoy.”

“I had high expectations for her,” Pierce said. “I think I got it right, didn’t I? We have not had anyone in the state jump this high consistently. She has learned to apply what she learned. She is a good girl, very sweet and sometimes sassy—one of those kids that is a good leader and example.”

The pole vault is a track and field event in which the athlete uses a long flexible pole to jump over a bar. It has been a full medal event in the Olympics since 1896 for men and 2000 for women. It has been a scoring event in the state of Utah for around seven years. 

Davis now holds the outdoor record and aims at out jumping the indoor record of 12 feet 11.5 inches. Her state record came this season in her first event at the Davis Invitational. Her jump is the 11th highest in the nation this season and stands third in her age group.

Davis’ athletic prowess doesn’t stop at jumping. She finished fourth in the state in the 100-meter hurdles. 

“I think some of her success comes from the other events she participates in,” Pierce said. “She is a great athlete all around, and that has helped her as a pole vaulter. I encourage the athletes to try other events. Pole Vault is a spectator sport. It looks cool, but participating in other sports is a good thing. To be a good vaulter you need to be well rounded.” 

The pole vault community is a tight-knit bunch.

“In other sports, it becomes a competition,” Davis said. “With pole vault I am competing against myself and I like to see everyone get better. I would like to hit 13 feet and keep improving next year. It is fun to be at Copper Hills and have all my friends supporting me.” 

Copper Hills finished the season with several top finishes at the state meet.

The girls 4x800 relay finished ninth overall. The team included Elyse Gibson, Savannah Davies, Kaitlin Johnson, Hailey Kidd, Andalusia Manwaring and Whitney Kidd.

Trey Traver took second in the boys 110 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles. 

Benjamin Bohne took third in the long jump with a 21-foot 2-inch jump.

The Copper Hills boys took home first place at the Region 3 championships, and the girls placed fourth.