Over the past 4 years, senior Katelyn Andrews has gained notoriety within and outside of the campus: excelling in marching band as a french horn player, impressing universities with her high GPA, and warming the hearts of her peers with her sweet, big smile. But unbeknownst to many, Andrews has been a major force within Girls Track and Field.

Last month, Andrews shattered the girls 4-year-long pole vault record at the Atascocita meet, jumping 13 feet and 3 inches. While this feat has taken other athletes years to accomplish, it only took Andrews 3.

“When I first started pole vault I just wanted to be able to clear 10 feet,” Andrews said. “The fact that I was able to greatly surpass that in so little time was very exciting. It was nice to see all my hard work pay off.”

During her freshman year, Andrews strove to stay as far away from track and field as possible, unaware that her participation in the sport would engender a plethora of opportunities. Last January, she committed to run for Baylor University on an athletic scholarship.

“I didn’t start with the goal of becoming a college athlete,” Andrews said. “But the longer I’ve been competing the more I’ve come to love the sport and the sadder I was about having to quit after senior year. I worked really hard my junior year and I somehow got some coaches’ attention. I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to continue in a sport that I’ve come to love. I’m super excited to be a part of the team at Baylor and learn from my amazing future teammates.”

As of currently, Andrews is ranked # 6th in Texas and #10 in the United States. But her accomplishments still don’t alleviate the pressure she faces when encountering other talented athletes.

“I definitely still struggle with nerves, especially at the bigger meets,” Andrews said. “I just have to focus on what my goals are for the meet and remember that if I come in with a bad attitude I’m not going to do well. I definitely still have a lot of good competition at the track meets but my main competitor is myself.”

As districts edges closers, Andrews has been working diligently with her outside coaches to further polish her techniques. Breaking 13’3 has been a major motivator for Andrews to stay focused.

“Hopefully I can change that soon and jump even higher,” Andrews said.