Lindsay Regan reaches new heights: Easton soph's 13-2 vault is tops

By Beth Hudson
The Morning Call
May 12, 2004

Winning an event at the Lehigh Valley Conference Track and Field Championships is one thing. But turning in the best performance in the country so far this year? That's exceptionally rare.
So when the fans at J. Birney Crum Stadium heard the announcement on Tuesday evening, they roared with approval.

Easton sophomore pole vaulter Lindsay Regan vaulted a personal-best 13-2, to win the gold medal at the LVC meet. And, with that effort, she now has the nation's top outdoor height among high school girls in 2004.

''I didn't ,'' Regan said. ''I was trying to get 12-6 consistently. I never really thought I would get 13 feet — not this year, at least.''

But she has. In fact, she's been reaching new heights at a fairly steady rate.

First, Regan hit a then-personal-best 12-71/2 when she won at the Penn Relays. She recently cleared 13-0 and then climbed two more inches on Tuesday.

Making it more impressive is the fact that Regan cleared her first three heights (11-0, 11-6 and 12-6) on her first attempts and made 13-2 on her second try, before attempting to vault 13-41/2.

''My third attempt was probably the closest,'' she said. ''But I came down on top of .'' Even so, what a day.

Regan's best competition locally is her older sister, Courtney, who finished second with a height of 11-0. Courtney also is the 2003 PIAA Class 3A champion in the event. The sisters, Lindsay said, have been competing in the same sports for so long that it's become quite natural. They each took up gymnastics more than a decade ago and do a good job of supporting and motivating each other on the field.
''Having Courtney here, it pushes me,'' Lindsay said. ''It pushes her. She's just always there for me. Unfortunately, someone has to be the winner. But we both try our best, and that's all that really matters in sports.''