Newcomerstown is the home to not just one, but two championship pole vaulters at the collegiate level.
And they both come from the same family.
University of Akron's Hunter Garretson and College of Wooster's Dylan Garretson are doing their family, alma mater and current schools proud.
The sons of Trevor and Beth Garretson were vaulting stars at Newcomerstown and their brightness at the next level has not diminshed.
Hunter, a redshirt sophomore, eclipsed a career-high clearance of 18-8.75 in the men's pole vault to headline the Zips' efforts on the final day of the Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas on Saturday, April 1.
Hunter's performance equals the No. 2 mark in outdoor program history set by 2021 Olympian and 2017 NCAA Champion Matt Ludwig in 2018. Additionally, his effort stands as the No. 3 mark in the NCAA this year. The top-three marks in the country this season were set in the elite competition at the Texas Relays.
In 2022, Hunter earned his first NCAA Outdoor Championship berth after registering a qualifying mark of 17-4-25 at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
He garnered third overall and first outdoor league title winning the pole vault with a mark of 17-1.75 at the Mid-American Conference Championships and earned top-two finishes in five of his seven competitions, including recording victories at the Northeast Ohio Tri-Meet, Indiana Invitational, Clarke Wood Invitational and the MAC Championships.
Dylan made College of Wooster program history recenty as the junior pole vaulter became the Fighting Scots' first men's indoor track & field All-American.
He placed fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships after clearing a school record 16 feet, 2.75 inches.
The music education major needed two tries once the bar was raised to 15 feet, 11 inches, then he mustered up enough to get over at 16 feet, 0.75 inches on his final try, which secured the All-America honors as just six competitors remained after that progression. Garretson had one more clearance in him, getting over 16 feet, 2.75 inches on his second try.
It was Dylan's third time competing at the Div. III Championships and his first All-America finish.
The Garretson brothers are not the first vaulters to star from Newcomerstown.
Jamie Lewis, a 1995 graduate, is a two-time state champion in the pole vault and still holds the Division III state record in the event (16-04) and was a Conference USA champ for the University of Cincinnati.
In addition to the Garretson brothers, Indian Valley graduate David Adams and New Philadelphia grad Kristian Kneffler are having outstanding pole vaulting careers at Dartmouth College and Kent State University, respectively.
Adams cleared 16-09 in the pole vault to win the event at the Yale Giegengack Invitational, setting a new PR and breaking the program record he had set earlier this season.
Kneffler opened the outdoor track and field season by winning the men's pole vault to lead the way as 12 Kent State student-athletes competed at the Raleigh Relays.
Kneffler cleared 16-4.75 to take first in the invitational section of the men's pole vault competition.
Phone: 330-343-8615
Address: 525 West High Avenue, Suite 160, New Philadelphia
Email: cjones1973@roadrunner.com
All Rights Reserved | Big Time Sports Ohio | This site is powered by Bluefoot.