Julia Colson

Tim Monihan and Farmers Insurance have named junior pole vaulter Julia Colson the fourth Player of the Week for the spring sports season.

“Last year she had a PR of 10-feet and finished 3rd in the state,” head coach Chad Walker said. “She came out in the first meet this year and cleared 10 feet, 6 inches…If she can get to the 11 feet, 6 inch-range, she’ll start getting a lot of attention.”

This year alone, Colson has increased her PR by a foot, currently sitting at 11 feet, 0 inches. She also runs the 100-meter dash, setting a PR of 14.27 seconds, and occasionally runs the 4×100 relay.

“What I enjoy most is the adrenaline rush I get from [pole vaulting],” Colson said. “I want to break the school record, which is 11-6, and make 12 feet by the end of the season.”

Colson is also relatively new to the sport, quitting gymnastics in 8th grade and joining the Starr’s Mill track and field team the next year.

“I love how each event is individual but all together [the team] can win the whole meet,” Colson said. “You can have an individual first place or you can have a team first place, and I think that’s really neat about track.”

The Starr’s Mill track and field team will be in action on March 29 at 4:30 p.m. during the Friday Night Lights meet in Panther Stadium.