Sarah Landau 12-9

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/prep/cst ... ack29.html

Pole vaulter Landau tops state-meet best


April 29, 2004

BY TINA AKOURIS Staff Reporter

Geneva senior Sarah Landau wants to relive her winning moment at the 2003 girls state track finals again. Not because she won the pole vault title but because she didn't enjoy it at the time.

"I think I was in so much shock I couldn't take in everything,'' said Landau, a three-time state qualifier. "I remember there were five girls left and I thought, 'I could place. I could get a medal.'''

In the latest issue of Illinois Prep Top Times, Landau is ranked second with a vault of 11 feet, 6 inches. But that might change next week because Landau vaulted 12-9 in a dual meet against Sycamore on Tuesday. The state record is 12-6 set by New Trier's Elizabeth Boyle at the 2001 finals. State records are only counted at the two-day state meet.

"Physically, she has a lot of tools and uses all of her quickness when she's going down the runway,'' Geneva pole vault coach Jerry Vitton said. "When you're going down the runway holding a pole, it's not an easy thing to do.''

Although she is the defending state champion, Vitton isn't stressing that to Landau. Instead, he tells her to have fun.

"There are some things we can improve on, but she's exactly where she needs to be,'' Vitton said.

Landau set an Illinois Prep Top Times record at its indoor meet in March with a vault of 11-91/2. She equaled the mark of Mahomet-Seymour's Mary-Pat Choules.

Vitton said the Top Times record shows how good Landau is, as she vaulted only five times this indoor season. Geneva does not have an indoor track facility for Landau to practice her vaulting. And she had also pulled the quad muscle in her left leg and missed a week.

Geneva track coach Doug Ross said Landau is also a strong sprinter and she may run the 1,600 relay. Landau qualified for state in the mile relay last season, and has also competed in the 200-meter dash, 800 medley relay and 400 relay.

"We try not to run her before she starts vaulting [the 1,600 relay is always run last],'' Ross said. "She has to have time to recover.''