MARY, QUEEN OF HEIGHTS
By Pete Cava
Two years ago, Mary Saxer was a very good high school long jumper and a novice pole vaulter. Today, the sinewy blonde senior still excels in the long jump.
She's also developed into the top prep pole vaulter of all time.
Saxer, who graduates this month from Lancaster High School in upstate New York , has broken national indoor and outdoor records in 2005. She's a heavy favorite for the vault title at the National Scholastic Sports Foundation's Nike Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro , N.C. , June 17-18.
 Rick Suhr was the first to see a glimmer of greatness when Saxer attended his summer track and field camp in 2003. �She was here for the long jump,� said Suhr. �I think she picked up a pole for the first time in September, right about the start of the school year. She could run and she had long limbs, and I thought she had some things that could fit well in the vault.�
right, Saxer and Suhr after Saxer set national indoor record at Nike Indoor Nationals in March
That autumn Saxer began practicing under Suhr's direction at an indoor facility about an hour away from her home. By the time winter set in, temperatures in the building hovered around forty degrees. �We have a Quonset hut that basically covers the pit,� said Suhr. �Whatever the temperature is outdoors, it's only about twenty degrees warmer inside. Up here, bad weather jumping is a way of life.�
Saxer's initial attempt at double duty took place during the 2004 indoor season. She produced a solid 19-3 ¼ for the long jump and a promising 12-5 ¼ in the vault. During the 2004 outdoor campaign she really came into her own, winning the state long jump title and taking second in the vault. Along the way she notched personal bests of 19-5 ½ and 12-6.
By now Saxer was practicing with Suhr three times a week. Her training partners included two other highly regarded prep vaulters from New York 's western tier, Tiffany Maskulinski and Jennifer O'Neill. Maskulinski, from Iroquois High School in Elma, topped the 2004 prep charts at 13-6 while O'Neill, from Fairport High, tied for fifth on the list at 13-1 ½.
�We're really good friends,� said Saxer. �Without each other, we wouldn't have reached the level we're at today. We push each other to do better.�
Suhr claimed the trio's success was a result of group dynamics. �As soon as one of them jumps a new height, the others figure they can, too,� he said.
Encouraged by her rapid improvement, Saxer looked ahead to the 2005 season and uncharted territory: the 14-foot barrier. �I'd done it in practice,� she said, �so it was in the back of my head. But I wasn't sure how soon it would come.�
Saxer got off to a fine start, breaking the indoor high school record with a 13-5 ¼ performance at a meet in Toronto on December 3. On December 26 in Rochester she produced two more records with clearances of 13-5 ½ and 13-7.
On January 8 Saxer traveled to Hanover , N.H. , for the Dartmouth Relays. After raising the U.S. prep mark to 13-7 ¼, she asked officials to move the bar to the landmark height of 14 feet. Saxer missed her first attempt. On her second try, she cleared it.
Saxer also entered the long jump at Dartmouth and placed second with a mark of 18-5 ¼. �She did the long jump immediately after the pole vault,� said Lancaster coach Chuck Friedmann. �If she'd had time to pace herself, she probably would have won that, too.�
Saxer's transformation from a good long jumper to a great vaulter was now complete. On February 4 she headed downstate for the Millrose Games at New York City 's Madison Square Garden . The top-flight Millrose field included former world record holder and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila. Dragila took first with a mark of 14-8 ¼. Saxer cleared just one height, 13-0 ¾, and finished sixth. �You can't always have your best day,� she said afterwards. �I had nothing to lose. A meet like this is a great experience for me as a young vaulter.�
After watching Saxer in action, Dragila remarked: �She was very composed out there. I wish I was her age when I started pole vaulting. She's the next generation.�
Eight days later Saxer was competing at the high school level again, this time at state sectionals in Fredonia , N.Y. She won the vault with an easy 11-0 clearance and claimed the long jump title with a meet-record 19-1 ¾. She also led off the victorious 4x200 meter relay team.
Saxer led Lancaster to first place in the girls team standings and earned honors as the meet's most valuable performer. �Other than lining the track, cleaning up garbage and driving the team bus, I don't know what else she can do for us,� quipped Lancaster athletic director Len Jankiewicz.
A week later at the state indoor championships, Saxer won the vault and took second in the long jump. Her indoor season was far from over. The following month she won two major titles in as many days.
On Saturday, March 12, she claimed the National Scholastic crown at New York City's fabled Armory with a meet-record height of 13-6 ¼. Second place was 11-7 ¼, giving her a stunning 23-inch victory margin. But she wasn't satisfied.
�I went to New York to see how well I could do,� said Saxer. �But I didn't clear what I wanted. I was hoping to go higher.� She made a last-minute decision to enter the Nike Indoor Nationals the following day in Landover , Md.
The Nike Indoor field included old rival Lindsay Regan, and after Regan bowed out with a 12-9 ½ mark Saxer kept on going. She cleared 13-1 ½ and 13-5 ¼ with ease, but when the bar reached 14-0 ½ she missed her first two attempts. Saxer made the height on her final try for another high school record. For good measure, she moved up the bar to 14-2 and cleared it on her second attempt.
Over a hundred-day span, Saxer had broken the national prep record seven times. Amazingly, her performance at the Nike meet surpassed the winning mark of 14-1 ¼ at the NCAA Indoor Championships that same day in Fayetteville , Ark.
Saxer said she just wanted to prove her historic 14-foot performance was no fluke. �I knew I could do it, but I wanted to prove it,� she said after the meet. �I think I can go higher, but for now I'm happy.�
By now Saxer, one of Lancaster 's brightest and best in the classroom, had narrowed her college choices to Notre Dame, North Carolina , Miami of Ohio, Nebraska and Duke. �She's one of our best students,� said Lenny Jankiewicz. �I don't know her class rank, but I can attest to her academic ability. I taught her in an advanced math class and she was always near the top.�
In April, Saxer announced plans to enter Notre Dame. �I liked each of the five schools for different reasons,� she said. �I really liked the track team at Notre Dame and I felt comfortable there. But I also wanted to go to a place where I would still love the school if I couldn't do track anymore.�
Once outdoor season got underway, Saxer showed no signs of senioritis. In her season debut at the Western New York Track Classic in Lancaster on May 14 she broke the national high school record. Saxer cleared 13-9 on her third try, besting the old outdoor mark by half an inch.
Still, Saxer wasn't satisfied. �It was a surprise when I broke the indoor record back in December,� she said, �but every time I vault I want to do better. If I'm not doing my best, I'm disappointed.�
Aside from the Nike Outdoor meet, Saxer's summer schedule includes the state championships. She'll also get a chance to go to the school prom for the first time. �Every year our prom has been the same weekend as the New York state meet,� she explained. �I figured I'd go to state my junior year and miss the prom, then go to the prom as a senior and skip state. But they changed the date this year, so I can do both.�
Saxer's days at Lancaster High School may be dwindling, but her legacy could last forever. �She's the total package,� said Lenny Jankiewicz. �She always deflects any praise that comes her way and keeps a level head. I think she's the epitome of what a high school athlete is all about.�
Saxer Facts: Born June 21, 1987 in Buffalo, her parents are Don and Ann Saxer . . . Don ran track and Ann played softball . . . The Saxers also have a 12-year-old son, Alex, who competes in the sprints and long jump for his middle school track squad . . . Mary, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 135 pounds, was also a member of Lancaster's field hockey team.
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