AUSTIN — It was a celebration fit for winning state.
But it came after clearing opening height.
Gregory-Portland’s Riley Floerke was overjoyed to clear 11-feet, 6-inches in the pole vault.
She showed as much emotion, if not more, than she did when she won the state title at 12-6, or added a 13-foot clearance on her next attempt.
After four years of qualifying for the state meet, and a silver medal as a freshman, Floerke finally won her gold medal.
“I feel like I’ve worked long and hard to get to this point,” Floerke said. “It is not that it is a relief, but I’ve worked so hard that it was one of those things that when I finally did it, I feel like I really earned it.”
Clearing opening height was a relief for the Baylor-bound G-P senior because at last year’s state meet, Floerke did not clear a bar.
