Alexa Anderson, Kevin Swindler make Tigard 1st school since 2012 with both 6A pole vault champions

By René Ferrán 

EUGENE — Kevin Swindler stood on Hayward Field’s east pole vault runway Friday, having secured the Class 6A title at the OSAA track and field state championships, readying for his final attempt to clear 15 feet, 5¾ inches, having already made an outdoor-best 15-3. 

To his right, his Tigard teammate, Alexa Anderson, walked onto the west runway, also a state champion, looking to make 12-9 on her final attempt after going a personal-best 12-6 to beat defending champion Nicole Prall of Lincoln.

Swindler acknowledged he has had “lots of just mental issues” with the pole vault this spring, calling it “not my favorite season” coming off an indoor campaign in which he cleared 15-6¼ and earned All-America honors at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

“But I was able to pull through and still win state despite not having the best season that I wanted or what I wanted to get out of the season,” Swindler said.

Swindler and Anderson also vault for the Willamette Striders Track Club, and Friday marked the first time since 2012 that vaulters from the same 6A school won state titles.

“It was a great feeling knowing I ended my senior year with the win,” Swindler said. “And then to top it all off, watching Alexa not only win state but PR and tie our school record was pretty cool.”

While Tigard has had girls win state titles in the pole vault in recent history, Swindler’s victory ended a 27-year drought for the boys program — he became the first since Josh Gill in 1996.

He did it by being the only vaulter to clear 15-0, doing so on his first attempt. He then moved the bar to 15-3, which he again cleared on his first try.

“Today was about just getting off the ground, because I knew if I was off the ground and not running through, get on some poles and just take off, I could win it,” he said. “I was just prepping myself to just get off the ground and clear some bars.”

Prall also vaults for the Willamette Striders, and she and Anderson are good friends when not competing against each other. Prall won a vault-off against her at the Jesuit Twilight Relays last month, and when both faced third vaults at 12-6 on Friday, Prall owned the tiebreaker because of earlier misses in the competition.

When Prall missed, Anderson walked onto the runway knowing if she could beat her personal best, she’d be state champion.

“It was a stressful one, but it was really exciting,” Anderson said. “I just got up there thinking, I’ve got to give it everything I’ve got, do my best, and whatever happens is going to happen.”

Anderson felt a twinge of regret beating her training partner and someone she called “my big sister in pole vaulting.”

“It’s exciting, but I know that it’s her senior year,” Anderson said. “She’s taught me so much. She’s just so sweet and supporting. She always tells me that I vault better when I smile.”