If not for a debilitating sickness that still affects her, Morgann LeLeux likely would be the greatest female pole vaulter in USA high school history.
Morgann LeLeux can bench press 200
pounds, according to her dad.
Photo courtesy of Shane LeLeux
A senior at
Catholic (New Iberia, La.), LeLeux contracted Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) in late June and for quite a while it was not diagnosed. It is one of the most aggressive forms of mononucleosis and it will remain in her system – combated by medication – until it runs its course.
She surpassed her best of 14 feet, with a vault of 14 feet, 1 inch in the first outdoor meet of the season - the Erath (La.) Invitation - and is now the national leader by nine inches.
Last month, LeLeux won the prestigious New Balance Indoor Championships at 13-8¼ in New York City. At full strength she would have had a great shot at the national indoor record of 14-2½.
This spring she is shooting at the national outdoor record, which is 14-2. She has topped that height several times in practice.
"I'm not going to lie – at the beginning of the season I was kind of crushed," LeLeux said. "I was freaking out. It was my senior year and I could barely get over 13-0. The medicine at least made me want to get up (she once spent four days in bed)."
LeLeux's first love actually was gymnastics, which she started at age three. She was talented enough to win five state titles and reach Level 10.
As a sixth grader, she added the pole vault because her father, Shane LeLeux, was a college vaulter and has been coaching the sport for 20 years. He owns the New Heights Gym in New Iberia with both indoor and outdoor facilities. He currently trains 45 vaulters and arms them with their choice of 200 poles.
"I basically taught her how to pole vault in one day," Shane pointed out.
Morgann obviously was a quick study, because in her first meet as a sixth grader she cleared a surprising 8-6 and soared to 9-6 in her second outing. That was better than any of the varsity vaulters were doing at Catholic High.
"It wasn't that hard at all because gymnastics was such a good foundation," she said.
