Why this elite pole vaulter from Elmwood/Brimfield will graduate early and compete in the SEC

ELMWOOD — Tennessee checked all the right boxes for Mya Strahm.

The Elmwood/Brimfield coop state champion pole vaulter will take her track & field expertise to the Southeastern Conference, donning the signature Volunteer orange and white uniform for the next four years. She plans to graduate in December and get a head start on her collegiate career.

“Not only am I going to grow as an athlete or grow as a student,” the Brimfield junior said, “grow as a person, but I’m also going to grow spiritually, which is really important for me to have all those four things.

“I knew Tennessee was the place for me.”

As one of the nation's top pole vaulters, Strahm chose Rocky Top over a slew of other highly regarded programs like Alabama, Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ole Miss. She currently holds the nation’s fourth-best outdoor vault — 13 feet, 6.5 inches — with that height being first among all Illinois pole vaulters.

This comes after Strahm, who has cleared 14 feet three times in practice, won the Class 1A state title last May by clearing 12 feet.

“I’ve never had a situation like this,” E/B coach Kyle Anderson said of Strahm’s recruitment. “This is definitely uncharted for me. It’s definitely a unique situation. I’m trying to enjoy it as much as she is, because it just doesn’t happen every day in a small town like this.”

The Kansas Relays and its elite prep pole vault field hosted Strahm on Saturday.

“I love pole vault,” she said. “… It’s unique because not a lot of people do it, but I think maybe some people try it and after one day they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s not for me’, but you have to keep working at it. You’re not going to get better overnight.

“I’m really excited for this season if we get good weather. I’m hoping for a lot after being a state champ and having a rough season.”

‘She’s definitely stronger’

Her adversity-filled sophomore campaign included tearing her hamstring in January 2023, then Strahm suffered a bicep tear. She was only able to compete at sectionals as well as the state meet.

That hamstring injury resurfaced in the weeks leading up to the state finals, affecting her ability to practice, but she gutted out the victory to give the program their third girls individual state title.

An offseason filled with strength and sprint training as well as plyometrics has Strahm rounding into form.

“She’s definitely stronger,” Anderson said. “She’s definitely quicker … she’s just everything you want in an athlete as far as being a good teammate, doing the things the right way and getting yourself ready to perform at a high level.

“She does so many things to kind of bring athletes together and get them excited about track.”

Strahm, though, isn’t a one-event athlete. She held (and now has subsequently broken) the school record in the 300-meter hurdles.

In her first race of 2024, she clocked in at 46.84 seconds, beating her previous best by 0.17 seconds.

“It’s kind of like muscle memory,” Strahm said of getting back on the track. “I still remember it, but you definitely have to practice it a lot more. I think main thing was just coming to sprint workouts and I was a little winded at first, but I got back into it pretty easily.”

‘Sky’s the limit’

As a freshman, Strahm finished sixth at the state finals, running her then-career best time, while tying for second in the pole vault.

“I think it’s no secret that pole vault’s her favorite event,” Anderson said, “for obvious reasons - she excels at it, she loves it, but the hurdles, she can do some damage too.”

With no pole vault pit at either Elmwood or Brimfield, Strahm travels to the Normal-based Flying Dragons Pole Vault Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There she trains under the watchful eye of Mike Cockerham.

The former Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan coach has helped his pole vault athletes generate $13.3 million in scholarship money over the past 25 years.

“I knew immediately that (Strahm) was going to be a pole vaulter,” Cockerham said. “… She has the perfect physique for a pole vaulting. She’s rather tall. She’s fast, which is the key to pole vaulting, and a lot of body awareness. … Speed is the key to this whole game.

“She’s quite the athlete and the sky’s the limit for her.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA track & field: Elmwood Mya Strahm state champ pole vaulter