Positive attitude helps lift Seneca Valley’s Tennyson Voll to WPIAL gold in pole vault
Tennyson Voll had a good feeling right away.
At last week’s WPIAL Track and Field Championships, the Seneca Valley freshman pole vaulter shook off the less-than-ideal weather and put together a memorable effort.
Voll, who also plays volleyball for the Raiders, earned the Class 3A gold medal with a height of 12-0 at Slippery Rock University, in large part because of an even mindset entering the day.
“I knew the day was going to be really good, so I just kept a positive attitude and kept it going to end up winning,” Voll said.
“I was just feeling really confident. I knew whatever was gonna happen was gonna happen. I was just gonna try my best. I thought I had a chance at winning, but I didn’t think it was actually gonna happen.”
Trusting her training and a few good practices leading up to the day helped. She was overcome with emotion when she won.
“I actually ended up crying,” said Voll, a former gymnast who took up the event because it looked fun. “It meant a lot to me.”
Voll moves onto this weekend’s PIAA Track and Field Championships, which will be held at Shippensburg University. She is seeded seventh in the field and is the only freshman out of 24 athletes.
She’ll be joined by teammates Jordan Monteleone (11th seed in girls high jump), Kate Skeen (12th seed in girls long jump), and Audrey Wolfe and Addie Weaver, two of the top six seeds in the girls javelin. The 4x100 girls relay team is also competing; and on the boys’ side Dakari Payne and Eddie Strong are in the triple jump, and Reese Fatur and Andrew Mejia qualified in javelin. Mitchell Everly will also be competing in four wheelchair events.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunities that I’ll get to have there, and the experience that I’ll have,” Voll said. “I’m hoping to at least medal.”
