Johnson pole vaulter Ethan Saenz goes from wild card to bronze medal at state track meet

Ethan Saenz had an I-just-won-the-Olympics smile after earning a bronze medal in the Class 6A pole vault Saturday afternoon at the UIL state track and field meet at Myers Stadium.

The senior from Johnson High figured his chances of earning a medal were remote. He finished third in the Region IV meet two weeks ago and needed a wild-card offer just to compete at state. Furthermore, the pole vault field included two competitors who have jumped almost 2 feet higher than Saenz.

"I felt more relief than joy (after earning a bronze)," said Saenz, who was encouraged to take up the sports in seventh grade because his father, Miguel, competed in the event at Tomball High. "All the work I put in over the years led up to this moment."

Also on Saturday, Round Rock senior Xavier Drumgoole won state for the second straight year in the triple jump. In a tight contest, he finished at 49 feet, 2.50 inches. Senior Jaydon Shields Spring was second at 49-2.0 while senior Jamitrius Jessie of Cypress Park third at 49-1.50.

As for Johnson's Saenz, the turning point came on his third attempt to clear 15 feet, 6 inches. If he had missed, his high school career would have ended without a state medal. But when he cleared it, his fist and his confidence went skyward.

His cheering section erupted, too.

"My heart was pounding," said Miguel Saenz, who coaches the Westlake volleyball team. "But he's got a level head. He never gets too high or too low. I'm just a proud dad. And he always seems to make it on his third attempt."

Miguel Saenz said he's not surprised his son has found joy in pole vaulting. An all-around athlete, Ethan was doing back flips in the third grade. But when Ethan decided to drop one sport at Johnson, Miguel was surprised that Ethan quit baseball, his first true love.

For the record, San Antonio Reagan senior Samuel Abati won the pole vault at 16-6. Robert Austin of Katy Seven Lakes was second at 16-3, while Saenz took third at 15-9.

Saenz was a three-sport athlete when he enrolled at Johnson in 2020. He played one year of baseball but quit to concentrate on pole vaulting. He was a wide receiver for the football team all four years, but the purpose of playing was to stay in shape for track and field.

He will continue to pole vault with an athletic scholarship at UT-Arlington.

"My goal is to clear 18 feet by the time I'm finished," Saenz said. "I think it's doable."

Round Rock's Drumgoole said this year's state win is slightly more rewarding than last year's gold because there was more pressure and expectations. Curiously, his first jump of the competition turned out to be his best.

"It's reward for all the hard work I've put in the past four years and it goes with all the support I got from my mom and my coaches," the Stanford-bound jumper said. "They paved the way. They took me to practice and drove me to every meet around the country. We'd go everywhere together."

Drumgoole tells a funny story about how Round Rock football coaches tried to recruit him to play that sport the past four years. He played football in middle school and admits he didn't like getting hit. But there was another reason he stayed away.

"I had the excuse that I was better in something else," he said. "I can't hurt my legs."

Stony Point senior Aubrey Griffin capped her high school career by finishing in a two-way tie for third place in the 6A pole vault. Griffin and Prosper sophomore Kate Pemberton each cleared 12 feet and both earned bronze medals.

Here were some other notable performances from the final day of the UIL state meet:

∙ Benjamin Montgomery won a thrilling Class 6A 3,200 meters with a bang-bang-bang finish. The Bridgeland High junior crossed the line in 8 minutes, 51.50 seconds to beat two opponents by a half-step. Caden Leonard of Southlake Carroll finished second at 8:51.57, and Carroll senior Zach Troutman was third at 8:51.64.

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∙ By contrast, Edinburg North's San Juanita Leal was an easy winner in the girls 3,200, finishing in 10:02.10 seconds. Macy Wingard of Denton Braswell was a distant second at 10:17.71, and El Paso Eastwood's Adelynn Rodriguez took the bronze at 10:23.76.

∙ Cibolo Steele's Zaire Cunningham finished in a three-way tie in the 6A boys high jump by leaping 6-8. Mansfield's Zion Robinson and Jersey Village's Landon Freeman finished with the same height, but Cunningham was awarded gold for having fewer misses.

∙ There was a four-way tie in the 6A girls high jump with each competitor clearing 5-7. Sophomore Brianna Rivers of Humble Summer Creek was declared the winner with fewer misses. Senior McCarley Gite of Conroe Oak Ridge earned silver, and sophomore Tessa DelGrosso took bronze.

∙ Harlingen senior Jazmine Thompson captured the 6A shot put with a toss of 47-8. Senior Tirea Reed of Klein Cain earned silver at 46-4.50, edging out bronze medalist Favor Anyanwu of Garland Sachse, who finished at 46-3.25.

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∙ Katy Tompkins senior Jayden Keys earned gold in the 6A long jump, winning with a leap of 24-6.50. Humble Atascocita junior Jackson Norris took silver at 24-0.75, and Fort Bend Hightower junior Kade Phillips earned bronze at 23-11.50.

∙ Bolaji Subair of Midland Legacy outdueled Jayden Kimble of Atascocita in a close 6A discus contest. Subair won with a toss of 157-10, beating Kimble by 5 inches. Fort Bend Elkins' Sydney Freeman finished third at 153-6.