By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Anne Baliel says pole vaulting isn’t just about winning or breaking the school’s record — it’s also about family.

“With my dad doing it, I always wanted to do it too,” she said. “I knew about it because he did it. Tying his record in middle school was cool.”

The Marion sophomore won Friday’s class 2A regional in pole vault in Marion with a height of 10 feet, but she was just shy of breaking the record of 10 feet, 6 inches, which she matched earlier in the season.

The support of her parents boosted her commitment to the sport, Baliel said.

“My parents help me with everything,” she said. “They take me to camps in the offseason and all Christmas break.”

Her father Dave said he’s glad that he and Anne share the love of a sport.

“She’s always been a bit of a daredevil and very coordinated,” he said.

He suggested she try it in middle school, and there has been little need for encouragement since then, Dave said.

“She was all in for it and it just seemed like a natural thing for her,” he said.

Anne was a key athlete to the Warriors, helping the girls finish third as a team with 60 points. Marion boys finished 10 overall with 29 points.

Anne wasn’t the only one chasing a record. Hillsboro’s Josiah Driggers’ mark of 43 feet, 10½ inches in the boys triple jump was almost two feet beyond teammate Carl Linnens, who took second by a foot.

Driggers said he intends to try to break Hillsboro’s record of 44 feet, 6 inches at state Friday.

When competing at state next week, the next step is trying to break Hillsboro’s record of 44’ 6”, Driggers said.

“I’m excited, but I’m also really nervous,” he said. “Hopefully it goes well.”

As well as he jumped, there were places Driggers said he could improve.

“My second phase is a little short,” he said. “If I can improve that, hopefully it will boost me to the record.”

Aided by 10 other top three finishes, Hillsboro boys finished first overall with 116 pts, while the girls were fifth with 57.

Marion boys top finishers: 4x100, fourth place, 47.23 seconds; 4x400, sixth place, 4:07.89; high jump, Noah Dalrymple third place, 6’ 4”; pole vault, Campbell Winter, sixth place, 10’; 300-meter hurdles, Winter sixth place, 46.98; 800 meters, Colton Mercer second place, 2:09.06; triple jump, Burt Harshman sixth place, 37’ 7¼”; discus, Charlie Nordquist fourth place, 136’ 5”, Todd Palic fifth place, 134’ 7”.

Marion girls top finishers: 4x100, second place, 52.88 seconds; 4x400, first place, 4:26.65; pole vault, Baliel first place, 10’; Michaela Regnier second place, 9’; long jump, Emmy Hess fourth place, 16’ 3½”; triple jump, Hess sixth place, 33’ 8½”; discus, Drew Helmer sixth place, 93’; 100-meter hurdles, Hess fifth place, 16.94 seconds; 800 meters, Heidi Grimmett second place, 2:30.64; 1600 meters, Grimmett second place, 5:40.56.