May 27, 2022 will be fondly remembered by Natalie Newton as a special day for two separate reasons.
Newton officially became a graduate of Teays Valley High School as part of the Class of 2022.
And she’ll get to don the blue-and-gold competitively one more time after qualifying for the Division I state championships on Friday during competition at a regional meet held on the campus of Pickerington North High School.
Newton set a new personal and school record with a vault of 12-feet to finish as regional runner-up out of the 16 athletes who competed in the pole vault.
Pickerington North’s Sophia Bartels finished as a regional champion by clearing 12-04 feet.
Newton, who committed earlier in the day to Division II University of Findlay, successfully cleared 10-04, 10-08, 11-feet, 11-04, 11-08 and 12-feet on her first attempt, besting her district-best try of 11 feet by a foot.
The newly minted Teays Valley graduate will travel to Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to compete in the pole vault on Saturday, June 4 at 3 p.m.