Lancaster’s Edwards takes home Division I state pole vault title and Lang places third
COLUMBUS – The disappointment Lancaster’s Daniel Edwards felt last season during the regional meet when he no-height in the pole vault and failed to make the state meet, was all the motivation he needed coming into this season.
It drove him and it was all he thought about in the offseason, during the season, during the postseason, and even during Saturday’s Division I state track and field championships.
Edwards more than used that motivation to his advantage and it paid off. He finished with a vault of 16-feet-four-inches to capture the Division I pole vault state championship at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
“It feels great to win it, especially after not being here last year,” Edwards said. “It motivated me a lot throughout the season and that’s all I thought about. I knew it was my time to show what I can do, and it motivated me every step of the way.”
The Golden Gales’ Lukas Lang was neck and neck with his teammate all season and it continued during Saturday’s meet. Lang topped out with a vault of 16 feet to earn All-Ohio honors with a third-place finish.
Edwards’ strategy was to wait and go in at a higher bar, and it worked because he still had enough left in the tank to reach a higher vault when he needed to at the end.
“There was some pressure because there were four of us at about the same height coming into the meet,” Edwards said. “I just wanted to get to the biggest vault as fast as possible because that is what is going to get you a high bar. I started big and came in high and that way, I wouldn’t wear myself out and I could have gas at the end of my vaults. I was able to have enough energy to take it to get to 16-4 at the end.
“To be honest, I was thinking coming in that 16-4 would probably win it. I missed my first attempt at 16-4, but I was able to come back and figure things out on the second attempt and that’s what ultimately won the meet. I just had to stay calm, and I knew what was wrong and I understood I wasn’t going to do everything perfectly every time. Staying calm and being able to fix the things you did wrong is what is going to enable you to reach the next bar.”
It was a bittersweet day for Lang, who finished fourth in last year’s state meet. He had high hopes on Saturday after winning the regional title.
“This was not the result I was looking for and this one is going to sting for a while,” Lang said. “My goal was to be on top of the podium, and if I could change some things, I would. I wanted to leave on a high note, but it’s good to know I came back and was able to have another strong finish at this level again. I just want to congratulate Dan. It is incredible that he came out here under pressure and came out on top. Again, this one is going to hurt for a while, but at the same time, I’m very thankful for being in this position.”
Lang will continue to vault next season at Youngstown State, while Edwards will be attending Ohio State.
He said it felt good to win on his future home track, and even though all his hard work paid off, his success makes him to only work even harder.
“It feels great to win, and it feels deserved in a way, but when everything pays off, you want to do it again and again and get back after it in each meet,” Edwards said. “You just want to keep going harder and harder to do bigger and better things, but it does feel good to come out here and win it on my future home turf.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster’s Edwards takes home Division I state pole vault title and Lang places third
