Hana Moll, nation's best pole vaulter, ends 'miracle season' with state title

With her phenom twin sister scratched, the Washington signee set a WIAA state high school meet record with a 14-07 to win 3A state title by more than two feet

Author:
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
Updated:
May 28, 2023 5:02 PM EDT
Original:
May 26, 2023

Update: The Capital girls won the 3A 4x100 meter race on Saturday with a 48.13, around a half a second faster than second place Spanaway Lake (48.66). The Moll twins finished their high school careers out winning together — Amanda was the second leg and Hana ran anchor. (More Day 3 results here)

TACOMA, Washington — Every pole vaulter competing at the Washington Class 3A state track and field meet final on Friday had completed their days — and seasons — by the time Hana Moll attempted her first jump.

By then, all eyes at Mount Tahoma High School focused on the nation's top high school pole vaulter. And Moll, a Capital (Olympia) senior, put a bow on a storied prep career by writing state meet history.

Not only did she win her first state pole vault championship after placing second to her twin sister as a junior, but Moll also rattled off a WIAA Class 3A state meet record 14-07, earning her the 3A individual title by more than two feet.

>> 4 performances you should not have missed from Washington (WIAA) state track (Day 1)

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"I'm really grateful for the season I've been able to have," Moll said. "I feel like I've done a really good job keeping myself healthy, and consistency is really important, especially in pole vault, for progress."

Moll typically jumps with her prolific twin sister Amanda Moll, who is with her among the nation's top high school sprinters, after she scratched ahead of the meet due to fatigue. Hana felt like she missed the competitiveness of jumping with her sister.

"It definitely felt a little empty," Hana Moll said. "I didn't really have that competition factor, so probably a little less adrenaline than normal."

The Olympia native has indisputably been the best high school pole vaulter in the country this spring.

She jumped 14-9.5 at USATF Indoor Championships in February, placed second at the Texas Relays with a 14-1.25 in late March, then cleared the hallowed 15-foot ground with a 15-00 personal best to win the Arcadia Invitational.

Last June, she finished second place pole vault finish at the USATF Under-20 Championships against the best vaulters from around the world. She likened Friday's accomplishment to her international medal.

"It means a lot to me," Hana Moll said. "I'm really grateful to end in Washington, especially in this weather — I felt like I brought the weather back with me from Texas and California, so it's been a miracle season."

On Friday, she started her day at 13-06 before clearing 14 feet and 14-07 on the first jump to break the state meet record set by West Seattle's Chloe Cunliffe in 2019.

Moll, a University of Washington signee, failed to clear 14-10 in each of her three attempts, but her work was already done. She was one of several athletes who stood atop the podium Friday hoisting the sign signifying a new meet record.

Before she starts her collegiate career, she plans to take a week off and prepare for the Nike Outdoor Nationals June 15-18.

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