(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The pole vault mat at The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs is a place where champions are born. Anna Willis and her three older sisters are all pole vaulters, and each has won state championships.
“I kind of just followed suit and started doing it like them, just seeing the success they had,” Willis said.
While all four have had some form of success pole vaulting, it has been Anna who is raising the bar even higher. Willis just finished an impressive freshman year of pole vaulting at the University of South Dakota. She finished T-4 at the Division One NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 12 when she jumped 4.44 Meters.
One week later, Willis won the U-20 USA Outdoor National Championships, jumping 4.35 meters. Willis is also the U-20 world leader for women’s pole vaulting, jumping 4.52 earlier this year. She also holds the 3A record at 13 feet 10 inches during her senior year at The Classical Academy.
“It’s so fast that you don’t have time to appreciate it too much,” Willis said. “But that’s why I just try and focus on appreciating every little thing in the moment, just because it goes so fast.”
But just like anyone, Willis has had her share of struggles, like when she hurt her wrist during her junior year of high school. She would go to five different doctors before an operation in Vail found cartilage floating in her wrist.
“It’s just crazy that it was such an easy fix, but it took so long to figure it out, and I didn’t know if I was going to keep vaulting,” Willis said.
But it made a tough girl stronger, more resilient, and prepared for both good and bad times.
“Knowing the history in the family, it just seemed like she was going to pull through this somehow, and she did,” said Ed Halik, Willis’s former club coach.
Now, Willis will take some time to rest in Colorado Springs and take a breath before putting the spikes back on in the fall. Even then, she is ready to reach for the sky and take on any challenge that comes her way.
“This is just something that I want to continue post-collegiately, hopefully pro,” Willis said.
Willis has higher goals set for herself in the future, as she aims to surpass 15 feet. She also wants to set her sights on getting to the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 2028 games in Los Angeles.
