The Battlefield Pole Vault Dynasty, 10 Titles & Counting


The pole vault has been on a meteoric rise these past few years and in Virginia Battlefield high school has been at the forefront. The Battlefield Bobcats have gone on to win 10 state titles since 2015 and the boys alone have scored 76 points at states in the last three years alone. 

Just like with every dynasty, and this most certainly is one, it all starts with one athlete. In this case that was Andrew Arlint who swept the 2015 state titles in the vault for Battlefield. Following him just a year later was Emily Harrison and that is where things shifted in a big way. She by the way won four in a row. 

It was after Harrison and her dominance that Battlefield rose year after year. They now hold five spots on the all-time list all since then too. 

Battlefield's success at the state meet has been on an individual level but also very much so on a program level as well. That is what makes them a dynasty in our mind. 

Putting some historical perspective on it though, we would be remiss if we did not mention the greatest pole vault dynasty of them all and that is Great Bridge. Their dynasty roughly ran from 1990 until 2006. In that span they have had four all-time great performers and two state record holders. Both of whom, Mike Morrison and Lawrence Johnson are also 17'+ guys, the only two in VA. 

Great Bridge has held the indoor and outdoor state records since 1992 when Lawrence Johnson set them. Michael Morrison broke both in 2006 and has held them ever since.