Kent State freshman pole vaulter Leah Pasqualetti of Orchard Park earned another distinguished honor for track and field excellence she achieved during her senior season with the Quakers.
Pasqualetti has been named Track and Field News’ High School Girls MVP for the 2020 season.
The OP standout set the national record for high school athletes and those Under-20 when she cleared 14 feet, 8.25 inches without a miss during a national-level competition at a private facility in California in June. She wound up missing her final three attempts when looking to clear 15 feet.
But clearing 14-8.25 was the latest highlight from a season to remember by the 5-foot-2-inch Pasqualetti. It broke the state record of 14-0 previously set by Iroquois’ Tiffany Maskulinski.
“There are a lot of wonderful athletes in the class of 2020,” Pasqualetti said by phone from Kent State. “Receiving the honor from Track and Field was very humbling because of that.
People are also reading…
“I felt very blessed to be able to find any meets this summer (due to the pandemic). To be able to find one at a great facility with great competition (in California) was a recipe for success.”
Pasqualetti earned New Balance Indoor All-American honors after breaking the state record in the pole vault en route to capturing the state and Federation championships in the pole vault. She eclipsed the old mark of 14 feet held by Lancaster’s Mary Saxer, raising the standard to 14-3 at the Section VI Groundhog Day Classic at Houghton College. She also won at the Millrose Games.
The spring sports season in New York State was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She found five meets to participate in during the summer once some restrictions were lifted, which included the first meet in California, where she delivered another record-setting performance.
Prior to her senior season, Pasqualetti’s best vault was 13-3. She had hoped to increase her height by a foot. Once she did, though, she wasn’t satisfied.
“It certainly seems the work we put in led to me being able to improve so much,” she said. “It was really years of effort that culminated for our (success) senior season.”
