Especially Strong Girls Pole Vault Class Of 2019

* Mounds View (MN) senior Julia Fixsen was second at the USA Junior Championships last spring with a mark of 13-11.25

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Last spring was an especially potent year in the girls pole vault. 

Three girls broke 14-feet nationally and nine overall went 13-6 or higher. Those nine athletes all broke into the top 50 marks all-time in the event on the girls side. 

And if we look at this year's recruiting class, the market for pole vaulters is at a high: Four girls from that list will likely sign with Division I programs during the National Letter Intent period, which begins on November 14 and goes through August 1. 

Three of those athletes have already pledged to schools ahead of the signing date, including Mackenzie Hayward (Baylor), Julia Fixsen (Georgia) and Riley Floerke (Baylor). 

Another, West Seattle's Chloe Cunliffe, essentially made her biggest statements after the state track and field season ended, hitting 14-feet at a USATF Junior Olympic Qualifier. 

But if we look closer at that group this year, Fixsen is an athlete that stands out. 

The Mounds View (MN) High School senior rose up the national charts in a manner that intimated steady progress on a number of levels, and importantly, it showed when it mattered. 

Of those nine athletes, no pole vaulter was as consistent as Fixsen at the higher heights, and she pocketed eight leaps over 13-feet during the outdoor season and four times over the indoor campaign. 

While she didn't reach 14-feet like Hayward or Cunliffe, Fixsen was huge in a number of championship moments, clearing 13-9.5 at Minnesota's state championships and 13-11.25 at the USA Junior Championships, where she finished second and earned a bid on Team USA for U20s. 

That experience and consistency is likely one big reason why a handful of programs were intent on recruiting the veteran vaulter. The list included Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, South Dakota, Arkansas and Washington.

Fixsen ultimately chose to visit South Dakota, Georgia and Arkansas.

On Monday, she committed to the school over Twitter. 

Fixsen's work isn't done just yet. 

A total of 16 girls in the Class of 2019 broke 13 feet last spring, and those heights don't seem to be stopping there. 

While the national record of 14-7, last achieved by Cabot (AR) graduate Alexis Weeks in 2015, seems a little out of reach right now, the track and field season has often taught us that anything can happen. 

Six girls all-time have broken 14-0.75, which means there are much higher heights to be reached by Fixsen and her competitors in 2019. 

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Top Five Girls Pole Vault Returners In 2019