Abby Schaffer commits to Virginia Tech

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.mcall.com/sports/highschool/ ... 5461.story

Easton's Schaffer finds a lot to like at Virginia Tech
The defending PIAA 3A pole vault champ had an easy decision.


Easton's Abby Schaffer has decided to continue her athletic and academic career in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Virginia Tech. (Rob Kandel, Allentown Morning Call / May 26, 2007)

By Beth Hudson | Of The Morning Call
November 28, 2007

Abby Schaffer returned from her visit to Virginia Tech with one overwhelming thought: She couldn't come up with a single thing she didn't like about the school in Blacksburg, Va.

''I guess I just liked everything as a whole -- the campus, the coach, the girls, the other vaulters, the practices,'' Schaffer said. ''Everything came together as whole.''

It certainly made her decision easier.

Schaffer, an Easton High School senior who won the PIAA Class 3A pole vault championship as a junior, will continue her track and field and academic careers at Virginia Tech. She'll sign her letter of intent in February.

''I was looking at the University of Washington and the University of North Carolina,'' Schaffer said. ''They were both up there. It was hard to decide. But once I got home from Virginia Tech, I knew that's where I wanted to go.''

Schaffer will carry on the tradition of Easton vaulters (and District 11 vaulters in general) moving on to Division I universities. Lindsay Regan and Courtney Regan also earned state titles for the Red Rovers before heading to college -- Lindsay to UCLA and Courtney to Princeton. All three honed their vaulting skills at the Vertical Assault Club in Bath.

Schaffer is also the second girl from her high school track team to earn a Division I scholarship offer this fall. Fellow Easton senior Chanelle Price, a two-time PIAA champion in the 800-meter run, recently announced she'd attend Tennessee.

Price won her second consecutive Nike Outdoor nationals title earlier this year and has a chance to break PIAA and national records in her signature race, the 800, as a senior. She and Schaffer are two key reasons why Easton should have another successful year in both indoor and outdoor track.

A runner-up at the 2007 state indoor championships, Schaffer won the pole vault at Penn Relays as a junior and then captured her first state title with a vault of 12-6 at the PIAA Track and Field Championships in May at Shippensburg University. She also took sixth and earned All-American status over the summer at Nike nationals.

''I really want to get the indoor state record,'' Schaffer said, referring to the mark held by her former teammate, Lindsay Regan. ''It's at 13 right now, so I have to jump 13-01/2.''

Schaffer will have a chance to add to a growing collection of hardware from the Penn Relays and PIAA championships as well. Once she's at Virginia Tech, she'll work with vaulting coach Bob Phillips.

Schaffer said he has a few things in common with her current coach, Mike Lawryk of Vertical Assault. Lawryk has developed a number of state champions at his club, and Phillips has coached a few All-Americans at Virginia Tech.

''They have similar coaching techniques,'' Schaffer said. ''I think it won't be very hard to transition from working with my high school coach to him. … I'm excited about working with [Phillips].''

She's also happy to have a future that will include a mere six-hour drive -- it's closer than the other colleges she considered -- when she wants to come home for a visit.

''It was a really big relief,'' Schaffer said. ''You always want to know where you're going, so I'm glad that I got [the decision] over with.''

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.pennlive.com/hssports/expres ... xml&coll=2

Easton vaulter selects Va. Tech
state champ commits. Abby Schaffer picks the Hokies over North Carolina and Washington.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
By BRUCE BURATTI
The Express-Times
EASTON | Abby Schaffer, an Easton Area High School senior and reigning PIAA Class AAA girls pole vault champion, has verbally committed to attend Virginia Tech.

Schaffer becomes the second high-profile Red Rover track and field athlete to give a verbal commitment to a major university in the last two weeks. Chanelle Price, a two-time Nike Outdoor National 800-meter champion, recently gave a verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee.

"It came down to the University of North Carolina, the University of Washington and Virginia Tech," said Schaffer, also a standout field hockey player. "But I really liked Bob Phillips, their vaulting coach. He even came up to watch me in a few meets this past season."

A College Hill resident, Schaffer has a personal best of 12 foot, 6 inches, which she cleared, in succession, at the Lehigh Valley Conference, District 11 Class AAA and PIAA championship meets last spring.

That height ranks her tied for second all-time in region history, behind only former teammate and two-time PIAA champion Lindsay Regan, who cleared 13-6 in the 2005 District 11 Championships.

Schaffer is also the reigning Penn Relays champion off her height of 12-4½.

"When I talked to Coach Phillips, he said he puts his vaulters in a five-year program and that red-shirt year could come any time," said Schaffer, who expects to major in either business or communications. "That appeals to me."

Schaffer also indicated that Phillips' coaching style for vaulting is similar to that of Mike Lawryk, head of the Vertical Assault Club of which Schaffer is a member.

"He said he wouldn't be changing me all that much," Schaffer said. "It was just be fine-tuning and tweaking."

Schaffer will be joining a Hokie team with a group of solid vaulters. Erin Mahony (13-1»), Abbey McGrath (12-9½) and Jennifer Wade (12-6¼) will be graduating this spring, but Ashley Earley, the Virginia high school record-holder (12-10) and Caitlin Thornley, the North Carolina state record-holder (12-4) are both freshmen in the program.

[VTechVaulter]

Schaffer will be joining a Hokie team with a group of solid vaulters. Erin Mahony (13-1»), Abbey McGrath (12-9½) and Jennifer Wade (12-6¼) will be graduating this spring, but Ashley Earley, the Virginia high school record-holder (12-10) and Caitlin Thornley, the North Carolina state record-holder (12-4) are both freshmen in the program.

actuallllly Abbey and Jenn graduated last year (but whos counting)

[SlickVT]

Schaffer will be joining a Hokie team with a group of solid vaulters. Erin Mahony (13-1»), Abbey McGrath (12-9½) and Jennifer Wade (12-6¼) will be graduating this spring, but Ashley Earley, the Virginia high school record-holder (12-10) and Caitlin Thornley, the North Carolina state record-holder (12-4) are both freshmen in the program.

Wow...

Lets correct this...

Ashley Early is a sophomore and has a PR of 13'6"
Erin Mahoney is a senior and has a PR of 13'4"
Abbey graduated with a PR of 13'1"
Jen graduated with a PR of 12'7"
Caitlin is a sophomore with a PR of 12'7"
Elise Birnbaum is a sophomore with a PR of 12'4"

(All rounded to the nearest inch)

Whew. Thats better.

[SlickVT]

And to add...

Abbey, Erin and Jen all had PR's of 10' or less before coming to Tech.

[vault3rb0y]

Wow.... thats a really impressive crew. Congrats there abigail! lol

[jcoover]

And to add...

Abbey, Erin and Jen all had PR's of 10' or less before coming to Tech.

damn...