Burlingame’s Boyse among the elite in CCS pole vault

One year later, Boyse is not only the best vaulter in the PAL. She is the best in Northern California, as the senior vaulted a personal record 13-0 on May 19 to claim the PAL championship. Now, after locking up the Central Coast Section championship Saturday at Gilroy High School, Boyse is heading the state championships to go head-to-head with the No. 1 pole vaulter in the state, Del Norte-San Diego senior Paige Echsner.

It just so happens, Boyse and Echsner are set to be future teammates, as they are both committed to compete for the NCAA Division I program at UCLA.

“This is kind of pushing it, but I would love to come 1 and 2 with my future teammate,” Boyse said. “I think that would be super fun, just a bonding moment for us to head into UCLA feeling excited, and also make our coach excited.”

Boyse in on a mission to finish her high school career with a flourish this weekend at Buchanan High School in Clovis. The senior has topped the 12-foot plateau four times this season. That includes her 13-foot vault, just the eighth vaulter in CCS history to do so, and making her the first CCS athlete to do so since 2018 when Santa Catalina’s Laurel Wong went for a 13-3.

Stepping onto the CCS championship infield Saturday, however, Boyse was on a mission simply to survive the day.

“I’ve been pretty sick for the past few days,” Boyse said. “So, it’s been a dream to even make it here today. I just haven’t been feeling my best, so today was kind of just let’s get it done and then feel better for states. I’m just glad that I was able to do that and secure the win.”

Boyse was not playing up some minor ailment. On the way to the podium to receive her first-place medal, she looked as pale as a sheet and had deep bags under her eyes. Making matters worse, a consistent crosswind during the mid-afternoon competition wreaked havoc on not just Boyse, but on all the pole vaulters.

“The conditions today were just a little bit rough for all the vaulters,” Boyse said. “So, that also added another layer. This was a rough competition. Not everybody jumped their best. But it worked out.”

In qualifiers the week prior, Boyse did what she had to do to advance, knocking out a 10-6, her most modest vault of the season. Saturday in the championship round, she settled for her most modest vault in two months, capturing the CCS title with a height of 11-9, tying with Leigh senior Quinlyn Abel, but being awarded the championship via the tiebreaker format.

Boyse opened the day at 10-9 and executed each of her first four heights on the first attempt. The first three heights, she cleared well over the cross bar. At 11-6, she rattled the bar on the way over, but it stayed in place for a successful vault.

On her third attempt at 11-9, Boyse took her time on the runway before starting her approach. The girls’ 1,600 meter was in progress as she stood at the starting line for a while, seeming to wait as the pack of runners past her on the northwest corner of the infield. What she was really waiting for, though, was for the persistent crosswind to settle.

“It doesn’t really affect me,” Boyse said of the race. “The only thing I would say is maybe the gunshot, sometimes I wait for that, because it can be a little bit scary. But at that moment, I think I was just waiting for the wind to calm down.”

Heading into the state championship, Boyse ranks second in the state at 13-0. Echsner is tops in the state at 13-10, which she reached May 17 at the preliminaries of the San Diego Section championships. The went on to capture the SDS championship with a vault fo 13-5.

Echsner has vaulted 13-feet or better 10 times this season, and 14 times in her varsity career, including four times as a junior. She settled for second place at the 2024 CIF State Track & Field Championships, posting a 13-5, while Pittsburg’s Jathiyah Muhammad — now at University of Arizona — won the state title at 13-9.