Samantha Potts '23 Recruiting Profile

My Senior year - I just finished the 2023 indoor season and competed on the Championship level at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston. I finished well better than my starting rank and will continue to try to advance those efforts. Now, I’m starting my outdoor season and working technique and reps to improve and make new PRs. 

The 2022 season was successful in my progress with PR'ing in both the pole vault and the discus events. I improved as the season went and I was the District Champion in both PV and Discus. In Regionals, I placed 1st in Discus (which also happened to beat my High School's record and the Regional meet's  record with a throw of 118'9") and I tied in height in PV with 1st but placed 2nd (I broke my HS's record in PV last outdoor season).  At my VA Class 5 State meet, I PR'd in PV to place 3rd with 11'6", which gave me the qualifying standards needed to go to the Nike Nationals in Oregon! It was great to be at Nationals! I PR'd in Discus (120' 03"), made the finals and placed 8th overall in discus and in PV, I placed 11th overall. It was awesome to be in Hayward Stadium with so many awesome athletes!

As a sophomore, I qualified for the Virginia Class 6 State Meet in pole vault (Indoor and Outdoor) and discus (Outdoor) and was named the team's Female MVP. During the 2021 Indoor season, I was both District and Region Runner-Up in pole vault.  During the 2021 Outdoor Season, I won the 2021 District Championship in discus,  was Runner-Up in pole vault, and placed 3rd in pole vault and 4th in discus at the Region meet.  I have also  competed at the Varsity level in shot put, long jump, 55m hurdles, 55m and 100m dash, and both 4x100 and 4x200 relays .  

I began pole vaulting in July 2019 with my High School.  In January 2021, I began training with Coach Kyle Bishop at Aim High Pole Vaulting Club. Since then, I have increased my PR to 11' 6" (12'6" - 13' in training). My PV training is also accompanied with the assistance of Coach Jerry McEvoy of the PWPVC, which started while Coach Bishop was recovering from illness.  In February, I began training discus with Coach Kunle Lawson, former University of Mary Washington Head Track and Field (T &F) Coach and current Head T&F coach at Maryville College.  I continue to increase my PRs from 94' 3" to 120' 03".

As a former gymnast and soccer player, I am a very coachable athlete with strong time-management skills.  I excel in the classroom and I'm very active with my church and community.  Since the beginning of middle school, I have performed over 100 hours of community service and led my church's youth group in collecting more than 5,600 pounds of food for a local food bank.  I am competitive, friendly, and adapt easily to new situations.  My goal is to compete for a college program that is a great fit for me academically and athletically and has a great culture where I will fit in and contribute.