Moorestown junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner moved into the No. 3 spot in the pole vault in South Jersey history Friday with a 12-foot clearance at the Olympic Conference meet at the Bubble in Toms River.
Results do not show series info, but Byrd-Leitner’s 12-0 clearance is the No. 1 mark in New Jersey so far this winter and No. 15 nationally, according to the MileSplit natkional database.
Byrd-Leitner’s winning clearance was two feet higher than the winning height in the boys pole vault.
Coming into Friday, Byrd-Leitner had a PR of 11-7 from the Father Judge Relays in Philadelphia in April and an indoor PR of 11-6 from a meet Tuesday at the Bubble.
The versatile Byrd-Leitnr was also a sectional medalist in both the high and intermediate hurdles last year. She’s the first South Jersey underclassman to clear 12 feet since Brittany Raffo of Seneca outdoors in 2016 when she won the Meet of Champions.
Here’s a look at the four indoor 12-footers in South Jersey history:
13-5 … Danielle O’Reilly [Shawnee], 2004
12-7 … Ashley Preston [Delsea], 2018
12-0 … Jessica Kloss [Moorestown], 2004
12-0 … Hannah Byrd-Leitner [Moorestown], 2024
And the combined South Jersey all-condition 12-foot list:
13-5 … Danielle O’Reilly [Shawnee], 2004 [i]
12-7 ½ … Ashley Preston [Delsea], 2018 [o]
12-0 … Brittany Raffo [Seneca], 2016 [o]
12-0 … Jessica Kloss [Moorestown], 2004 [i, o]
12-0 … Fiona Basewitz [Collingswood], 2021 [o]
12-0 … Hannah Byrd-Leitner [Moorestown], 2024 [i]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 