By Blake Chadwick
After a 2023 2A state championship in track where Garden Plain’s Jewel Gallagher qualified in the 4×4 and the pole vault, she returned with some more experience and a hunger to place better.
As a junior, Gallagher and the Owls didn’t win a team state championship but became an individual state champion in the Pole Vault.
Gallagher has been running track since she was in eighth grade and has specialized in a number of events like the pole vault, 4x400m relay, the 400, the 800, and the 4x800m relay, all events that she has found a lot of success in.
“I would consider my biggest strengths to be leadership and mental toughness,” Gallagher said. “I don’t hesitate when an opportunity arises to take charge, direct, and encourage my teammates to work hard. I believe mental toughness is a key factor in being a good athlete and leader. Being mentally tough has not only helped me push myself past what I thought was impossible, but it helped me push and encourage my teammates as well.”
Now, as a senior, Gallagher plans to leave no stone unturned and has been working all offseason to end her career the right way.
“Leading up to this point, going into my senior season, I have spent most of my hours in the weight room working on my core and pole vault technique,” Gallagher said. “I also attended the winter WSU track camp, working on my vault and running form. As for the fall, I spent some time focused on endurance for running.”
