Track Notes: Dalton Duvio vaults record 17-1 with sprained ankle

Dalton Duvio has to set new goals and find a bigger pole following his record-breaking performance last weekend during the Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic in New Orleans.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior set meet and personal records by pole vaulting 17 feet, 1 inch and amazing onlookers who noticed his heavily-taped right ankle. The Curtis (River Ridge, La.) star fell at home and sprained his ankle just two days before the meet. Lots of icing and a good taping job by a trainer on Saturday encouraged him to give it a shot.

Duvio started at 14-0, one foot lower than normal, and barely cleared the bar on his third and final jump.

"I struggled a little. I was nervous that I wasn't going to jump too well," Duvio told MaxPreps. "Performance-wise, I was about 95 percent. I just pushed through it. I tried not to think about it. It hurt a bunch, yeah."

When he got to 15-0, his sophomore brother, Dylan, who finished second, also cleared the same height. That was another incentive for Dalton to push himself onward and upward. Duvio's final height was 17-0, but when it was measured, it actually was 17-1.

"It was kind of amazing," Duvio admitted. "I really wasn't expecting (to do that well) because of my ankle. My ankle started killing me on the last few jumps, so I just decided to stop (and not try to extend the record)."

Duvio revealed that his goal for his senior year was to scale an even 17 feet. Now he's unsure what his next goal will be as he prepares for this Saturday's Meet of Champions in Mobile, Ala.

The next order of business, however, is to find him a bigger pole, according to coach Preston Curtis. He plans to replace his 15-foot pole with one of at least 15-7.

Curtis was instrumental in turning Duvio from a level 9 gymnast into a track athlete when he was in eighth grade.

"He's the kind of kid who doesn't give up," Curtis said. "He tried a couple of different events, but he just didn't fit. The last one was the charm. He's put in a ridiculous amount of time (in the vault). He has great speed now and overall strength (he bench presses 300 pounds). He is doing college workouts basically. He's the type of kid who competes in everything he does. He's a 4.0 student and class valedictorian."

Duvio will attend Stanford after also considering the likes of Harvard, Princeton and Duke.

* Keep an eye on Marcquita Stalbert of McDonogh (New Orleans). Just a freshman, she won the 100-meter dash in 11.98 seconds, the 200 in 24.80 and the 400 in 56.31.

BARLOW IS OREGON POWERHOUSE
Barlow (Gresham, Ore.) may field one of the state's best-ever track teams this spring. Coach Dave Kilian told the Oregonian that he believes his team could score 100 points in the state meet.

University of Texas recruit Ryan Crouser (6-7, 240) already has broken the national indoor shot put record (77-2 ¾) and hopes to notch state titles in the shot put, discus and javelin. Sprinter Arthur Delaney, a University of Oregon recruit, is ready to dominate his events and make a national name for himself.

Doug Binder wrote, "Crouser and Delaney may be the greatest one-two punch in Oregon history."

ROBIN REYNOLDS GETS ‘TRIPLE'
Jackson (Miami) junior star Robin Reynolds dominated the Greater Miami Athletic Conference meet by winning three major sprint championships. Reynolds, who already has won seven individual state titles during her outstanding career, captured the 100 in 12.41 seconds, the 200 in 25.30 and the 400 in 54.73.

SIXTH-GRADER WINS 2 EVENTS
Sixth-grade sensation Daesha Rogers won the 800 and 1,600 to help the American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) girls win the championship during the Westminster Academy Invitational. On the boys side, American Heritage freshman football superstar Sony Michel won the 200 (22.15), while placing second in the 100 and helping the 4x100 relay team win its event.

POTPOURRI
* The Duplantis family of Lafayette, La., continues to make its mark in the pole vault world. During the indoor season, 11-year-old Armand "Mondo" Duplantis cleared a world age-group record 12-9 in Reno, Nev. Older brother Andreas, a senior at Lafayette (La.), jumped 16-10 in his first outdoor meet.

* Chandler (Ariz.) junior Jasmine Todd set a state triple jump record (41-5) during the 71st Chandler Rotary Invitational. She also won the 100 (11.73), but a strained hamstring ended her day before she could compete in the long jump and sprint relay.

* Woodstock senior Kayla Beattie had an outstanding double during the Class AA portion of the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic in Bloomington, Ill. She won the 1,600 in 4:51.06 and the 3,200 in 10:15.06.

* Boone (Orlando, Fla.) senior Marvin Bracy won the 100 in an outstanding 10.28 seconds against collegians during the Florida State University Relays in Tallahassee, Fla.