WAYNESBORO – Jada Creager competed in four sports during the 2023-24 Waynesboro Area Senior High School athletic seasons.
And this past week, the senior set a school record in the pole vault for the Waynesboro girls’ track and field team. By the way, Creager is also a fast sprinter, who regularly wins the 100-meter dash, while being very competitive in the 200 dash and the 400 relay team.
Creager won the pole vault, 100 dash and 200 dash and ran a leg in the winning 400 relay in an 81-69 win over Greencastle-Antrim that gave the Maidens the Mid-Penn Colonial Division championship on Tuesday, April 30 at the Charles A. “Rip” Engle Complex.
“There were several PRs throughout the girls’ meet, including several in the distances races,” Rickett said of Waynesboro’s 90-60 win over Shippensburg on April 16 during which Creager established the girls’ pole vault record. “But the standout performance was by Jada Creager in the pole vault. She broke the pole vault record held by Rachael Johnson in 2016 of 10 feet, 7 inches. Jada increased the record to 11-0. She has been stuck at 10-6 for the past two seasons, so getting that record was long overdue but well-deserved as she had been so close for so long.”
Creager’s record-setting vault was captured on video, and her reaction was priceless.
“When I first cleared 11 feet, I might have touched the bar a little bit,” Creager said. “When I saw the bar, I was so excited. I screamed in mid-air.”
Perhaps if Creager had not set the record, the pole vault would simply be just another event she takes part in. But now that she has, it’s interesting to note that it probably wouldn’t have happened without some experimentation.
“I used a smaller pole when I did 10-6,” Creager explained. “I changed up to longer poles. I jumped 11-6 using a 12-6 pole. My next pole will probably be a 13-foot pole. Using a longer pole is harder, but it helps me jump higher. You have a longer swing when you go up. It’s a matter of staying stronger on your plant.”
Creager, who also competes in volleyball in the fall, and gymnastics in the winter (she also took up diving this past winter on the girls’ swimming team), said she maxed out at 9 feet her freshman year and cleared 10 feet her sophomore year. That went up to 10-6 her junior year, though she added that she might have vaulted 10-6 later in her sophomore year.
“It’s trying to get her the right pole, and I think she’s finally figured out what she needs to do based on using the new pole,” said Waynesboro coach Jim Rickett. “It’s finally coming to fruition. I fully expect her to get close to 12 feet.”
Creager, who plans on attending Mount St. Mary’s University in the fall, credits her coaches, especially pole vault coach Tom Lowry, for her progress in all her events.
“My coaches keep me going,” she said. “They keep me upbeat. (Coach Lowry) has really helped me understand where my steps should be and know where I am in the air. A really big part of it is having a good coach.”
Creager, the daughter of Todd and Amy Creager, has been a gymnast since she was three years old. She said that has enabled her due to upper body strength, something that comes in handy when handling the pole and launching.
“I’ve loved (pole vault) throughout the four years. I had friends that introduced me to it, so I got interested in it. It was new to me, and I wanted to try something new.”
Rickett is impressed with Creager’s progress in not only pole vault but the sprint events as well.
“She’s done a lot without even focusing on just one, and this is what she’s done,” he said. “She’s done sprints and pole vault for four years and split up into relay, which means she’s gotta work block starts and pole vault. She’s had to adjust. She’s running times she’s never run before. She’s increased her speed a tad bit every year.”
Waynesboro competed in the Stan Morgan Invitational Saturday. The Last Chance Meet will be held in Greencastle on Tuesday, and the postseason begins next Saturday with the Mid-Penn Conference Championships.
