Duggan rules GISA as pole vault champ

Westfield senior Hugh Duggan will leave high school as a two-time … wait, make that a three-time GISA athletic champion. The now two-time winner of the Class AAA pole vault in track and field competition is also remembered for one of the top plays of Westfield’s first championship football victory in 2013.

In the final three days of April, the GISA held the 2016 track and field meet at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany. There, Duggan captured his second pole vault gold with the top leap of 14 feet. That’s the same height he reached to win as a sophomore in 2014. In between, a hamstring injury prevented him from reaching this goal as a junior.

“Junior year was looking good,” said Duggan. “That put me out … although I did go to state and got second. I still deal with it a lot, my hamstring, but I was still able to win (this year). (Fourteen feet) is not where I wanted to be, but it was a pretty good day, a lot of fun.”

One other thing the injury did was get Duggan to focus his attention on the pole vault. Before, he would also do the running events and the high jump.

To train in the pole vault, Duggan rides to Fitzgerald three days a week to work with Charlie Polhamus, a master’s champion in the pole vaunt.

“It’s like an hour drive, but very well worth it,” said Duggan. “It’s a two-hour practice.

“It’s a very technique-based sport. There are a lot of factors. Some of the big ones are upper-body strength, speed and body control. (It takes) a lot of practice. Being on the runway three days a week isn’t enough. I wish I could be out there more. But practice, practice, practice.”

On a track and field team like the one at Westfield, many more athletes are lining up to run 100 meters, be on a relay team, long jump or throw a shot put. For Duggan, the draw to the lesser-participated pole vault came from a teammate during his freshman year.

“He asked me every day to come out,” he said. “Finally, about mid-season, I tried it and I loved it. There was an immediate connection.”

Flashback to Mercer University’s football stadium after Thanksgiving in 2013. It’s the fourth quarter and Westfield is trailing Stratford 31-27. The Eagles have the football and try a field goal of 20 yards. Duggan, whose brother Chandler is one of the featured running backs, blocks the kick with 8:33 remaining. The Hornets win the game 34-31.

“It was a huge play to get our team back on momentum,” said Duggan, who played outside linebacker and sacked the quarterback during the game, which happened to be his last on the gridiron. “We were getting beat pretty good.

“I was close all game. That was my third attempt. I knew I wanted it, and I got it. Reached out, laid out, and it hit me right in the middle of the chest. I came off the line and no one was there to block.

“Football, I’ve always loved. But I knew I wanted to go to the next level in track and field. I put all my attention into pole vault.”

After Westfield graduation, Duggan will attend Centre College in Kentucky and join the track team. He said it has a good program with a good coach. Duggan plans to study to be a physical therapist.

“I want 18 (feet) for sure,” he said about his vaulting plans. “This summer, hopefully with a lot of work, I’ll be going 16 feet. I can get there, and in college I would love 18, and higher than that from there.”

In addition to Chandler, the Duggan family has an elder brother Ivy who is a senior on the Centre track team. Westfield will still get to see the youngest, sister Gracie, in basketball.

“My mom stays busy,” said Duggan.

• Giles Amos of Westfield placed second in state in the shot put at 43-6.5 with John Walker Moore third. Westfield’s 400-meter relay placed third (44.32).

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