Kaitlyn Dermen, a 2014 Millville graduate, became the No. 2 pole vaulter in South Jersey history Sunday when she cleared 13-8 ¼ at the Vault Factory Summer Jump in Basking Ridge.
Dermen, an All-America at Stockton (and also a conference medalist in the high and intermediate hurdles), surpassed her lifetime best of 13-7 ¼ set in December of 2021 at the Fastrack Metro Season Opener Ocean Breeze. Her outdoor PR was 13-3 ¾ from a meet in April 2022 at the Lions Invitational at The College of New Jersey in Lawrenceville.
Dermen’s 13-8 ¼ clearance is 2nd-best in South Jersey history, behind only Shawnee graduate Stephanie Maugham, who PR’d at 14-0 ¾ in a meet in Fresno, Calif., in April 2002, while she was a senior at Rhode Island. She’s now Stephanie Colby and the U.S. Masters record holder in the 40-44 age group with an 11-5 ¾ clearance in Toronto in July 2019.
Detailed results aren’t available, but Dermen won by a foot over former Rider and Temple vaulter Allie Riches, who cleared 12-8 ¼.
Dermen first vaulted as a sophomore at Millville, clearing 8-6 indoors and 9-0 outdoors. She improved to 9-6 as a junior indoors and placed at Group 4 states and then took 8th at the Meet of Champions outdoors with a 10-6 clearance. She was a state runner-up and Meet of Champions 6th-place finisher indoors as a senior and improved to 11-1 and had a series of 11-6 clearances outdoors.
At Stockton, she won NJAC titles indoors [11-9 ¾] and outdoors [12-3 ¾] as a junior in 2017 and indoors [12-1 ¾] and outdoors [12-1 ¾] as a senior in 2018. She earned All-America honors by clearing 12-3 ¾ for 4th place in May of 2018 in La Crosse, Wisc.
Her next PR appears to have been a 12-11 ¾ in a meet in Basking Ridge in August of 2020. According to her World Athletics page, her best previous jump this year was a 12-10 ¼ in Washington, D.C., in June.
Here’s a look at all the 13-foot vaulters from South Jersey that I know about. Let me know if there are any missing:
14-0 ¾ … Stephanie Maugham [Shawnee], April 6, 2002, Fresno, Calif.
13-8 ¼ … Kaitlyn Dermen [Millville], July 29, 2023, Basking Ridge, N.J.
13-8 … Anna Heim [Moorestown], May 13, 2010, Springfield, Mass.
13-5i … Danielle O’Reilly [Shawnee], Feb. 9, 2004, New York
13-3 ¾ … Ashley Preston [Delsea], April 17, 2021, Philadelphia
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 