Moniteau’s Ashton Grossman surprises at Adidas Track Nationals with 6th-place pole vault medal
A year ago, Ashton Grossman set his mind to focusing solely on pole vault.
He hung up his football cleats, did speedwork and strength training in the fall and set goals of making a return to the state championships and committing to a college.
He’s done that and more.
The Moniteau senior, who committed before Christmas to Slippery Rock University and finished eighth the PTFCA indoor championships with a 14-6 vault, surprised even himself with a sixth-place medal Saturday at the Adidas Indoor Track Nationals.
Grossman cleared 14-2 and had a tiebreaker with four other athletes because he cleared lower heights with fewer attempts. Three of the vaulters ahead of him, including champion Victor Olesen (17-1.5) were listed as from pole vault academies.
“My expectations were not too high,” Grossman said Monday on the phone. “I had gotten to that meet, I had achieved what I wanted to achieve.”
When he missed on his final attempt, Grossman joined his parents and sister, former SRU pole vaulter Kendall Grossman, in the stands to watch the rest of the competition, thinking he wouldn’t medal. But Kendall watched the live scoring results and realized he could finish sixth.
“When she told me that I was not really believing it,” Grossman said. “It was a good moment (when the results were announced) to be able to share with them.”
Grossman won District 9 outdoor gold last season with a 13-6 and finished sixth at the PIAA Track and Field Championships, clearing a personal best 14 feet. He holds Moniteau’s indoor record, beating his dad’s old mark.
He enters his senior outdoor season aiming for a “pretty ambitious goal,” he admitted, of 16 feet. He’s also angling for another PIAA berth and the New Balance Nationals in the summer.
