Ashley Preston continued her perfect record at the Big East Championships with her third conference pole vault title in three tries.
Preston, a Delsea graduate and sophomore at Villanova, clear a personal-best 13-3 1/2 Sunday to win the Big East indoor title at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
As a freshman, she won last year’s indoor title at SPIRE at 12-7 1/2 and then won the outdoor title at Icahn Stadium in New York at 13-2 1/4.
Preston passed the first five heights and then cleared 11-11 3/4 on her second try and 12-3 1/2, 12-7 1/2 and 12-11 1/2 on her first try. When nobody else cleared 12-11 1/2, she had the event won.
She had the bar moved up to 13-3 1/2 and cleared it on her second attempt before three attempts at 13-5 1/4.
Preston’s 13-3 1/2 is No. 3 in Villanova history indoors and No. 7 on the overall all-time indoor-outdoor list.
Her previous PR was that 13-2 1/4 last spring. Her previous indoor PR was a 13-1 1/2 at a meet in January in Annapolis, Md.
Her 13-3 1/2 clearance is the best by a Villanova vaulter indoors or outdoors since 2015, when Alexandra Wasik cleared 13-10 at the Armory.
Preston trails only Wasik and Ashlyn Llernadi (13-5 3/4 in 2010) on the all-time Villanova indoor list.
Preston and Wasik are the only three-time Big East pole vault champs in Villanova history.
This fantastic Villanova track history book shows where Preston ranks among all-time Villanova athletes in Big East titles. Considering she’s only halfway through her sophomore year, she’s moving up rapidly!
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 