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Bermudian Springs' Lily Carlson adds Class 3A state title, PIAA record to resume

Bermudian Springs senior Lily Carlson waited longer than it took for her to win her third PIAA gold medal. Because she passes through the lower heights, she's used to waiting for a while. She relaxes, talks with other competitors who are also her closest friends. She goes through her pole vault journal. Advertisement The competition took a wet turn just as Carlson was beginning to start her warmup routine. And then the clouds grew dark and the rain fell. The tarps came out and talks began about moving the event inside Shippensburg University's Heiges Field House. By the time grounds crew brought out blowers to dry off the runway, the rain came again. It took about 90 minutes before athletes were jumping again. Officials made the decision to wipe the slate clean for girls who had to vault in pouring rain before action was suspended. That included defending champion Veronica Vacca, who opted to start her competition at 12-0. She missed three straight tries and ended up no-heighting. All before Carlson had taken her first jump. Bermudian Springs' Lily Carlson celebrates after setting a state record in the 3A pole vault (14-0.25) during the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University on Friday, May 23, 2025. "I definitely missed out on competing with her," Carlson said of going against Vacca. "I was really looking forward to jumping against her." Advertisement Nineteen minutes after the defending champion and record holder was eliminated, Carlson cleared 12-6 on her first attempt. Six minutes later the last competitor exhausted her attempts and Carlson had won a Class 3A title to go with two Class 2A gold medals. She might have lucked out by waiting to jump because she hadn't started to warm up. She was able to maintain her regular routine instead of having her flow interrupted. Carlson, who will compete at Texas A&M in the fall, completes her career with three District 3 pole vault championships, records in Class 2A and 3A, one Class 2A 100 hurdles title and three PIAA pole vault gold medals. Bermudian Springs' Lily Carlson celebrates after setting a state record in the 3A pole vault (14-0.25) during the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University on Friday, May 23, 2025. And one PIAA record. Advertisement That came on her third attempt at 14-0.25 that broke Vacca's record of 14-0. When it was all said and done, and she missed three attempts to extend the record for 14-3, she credited her friends and people in the stands with helping her make history. "The crowd was absolutely amazing," Carlson said. "I love the excitement. I love the encouragement and everything. It helped me keep up my speed and do what I need to do." More on Carlson: Pole vaulting in the street, competing for native Austria on District 3 champ's bucket list Jumping to gold: New Oxford's Brayden Billman snares first state gold in Class 3A triple jump Advertisement Carlson said everything kind of stops when she clears a height. She sees the bar, hears the crowd and feels the energy. When she cleared 14-0.25, she looked to her family in the stands, her coaches along the fence then ran to her friends. It was clear as she met with media after the medal ceremony that the titles and medals weren't on the horizon when she started on this journey as a freshman. "When I came to VaultWorx after my freshman year, my coach was like, 'yeah, you're going to jump 13 feet. That's going to be the bar to get,'" she said with a laugh. "And then last year, it was 14. So it's been a process. When I started I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought I was terrible for the first year. "And then it all kind of came together. It's been absolutely phenomenal." Advertisement Asked when she thought she will come down from this high, she thinks maybe a week. Before it happens though, there will be celebratory chocolate ice cream and various desserts. And graduation. After that, she's off to new challenges and new heights. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Bermudian Springs Lily Carlson breaks PIAA pole vault record