Hempfield grad Bridget (Guy) Williams qualifies for Olympics; Connellsville's Madison Wiltrout likely to join her
Bridget (Guy) Williams is headed to the Olympics and earned her spot in impressive fashion Sunday night.
The 2014 Hempfield graduate finished first in the women’s pole vault final at the U.S. Olympic Trials after clearing 4.73 meters (15 feet, 61⁄4 inches) with no misses at Oregon’s Hayward Field. She failed on three attempts to clear 15-81⁄4.
Connellsville’s Madison Wiltrout also will earn a spot on the Team USA roster after she finished third in women’s javelin with a toss of 61.17 meters (200-8), as long as her World Athletics ranking is high enough. She finished behind Maggie Malone Hardin, who set a meet record at 64.58 meters (211-10), and Kara Winger (62.94 meters, 206-6).
Wiltrout, 25, is likely to earn a spot on Team USA by finishing in the top three, but she didn’t surpass the Olympic qualifying standard of 210 feet so will need to wait for the updated world rankings to be released.
Williams will be joined by 2021 Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon and Brynn King, who all advanced by clearing the standard of 4.73 meters. They will head to Paris with Team USA and will compete Aug. 5-7.
U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS ???????? - #Paris2024
????Eugene (OR) ????????
SAUT À LA PERCHE
???? 4.73M (#Paris2024 ????????)
????Bridget Williams 4.73M ????️
????Katie Moon 4.73M ????️
????Brynn King 4.73M PB ????️#Athlétisme #TrackFieldTrials24pic.twitter.com/9tuyabeBim— MR.CARTER (@NelsonCarterJr) July 1, 2024
Williams, 28, won the PIAA championship in 2014 at Hempfield. She then was a three-time All-American and two-time outdoor ACC individual champion in pole vault at Virginia, where she set indoor (4.38 meters, 14-4 1/2) and outdoor (4.46 meters, 14-7 1/2) school records.
She has been a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia Tech since 2020.
Congratulations to Hempfield Area alum Bridget (Guy) Williams for qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team for Women’s Pole Vault! The Hempfield Area School District is so proud of you and your accomplishment! pic.twitter.com/ZDxidHlYOq
— Hempfield Area Athletic Department (@hasd_athletics) June 30, 2024
She advanced to the Olympic Trials finals after clearing 4.35 meters (14 feet, 3 1/4 inches) and placing 11th in the qualifying round Friday.
Hempfield Area alum Bridget (Guy) Williams cleared 4.73 meters (15-6.25 feet) to win the Women’s Pole Vault at the U.S. Olympic Trials and booked her ticket to Paris! pic.twitter.com/s6AU37BzuC
— Hempfield Area Athletic Department (@hasd_athletics) July 1, 2024
She finished ninth in the pole vault at the 2021 Olympic Trials. Williams most recently won a gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, after clearing 4.60 meters (15-1).
Meet your women’s pole vault team! Next flight: @Paris2024 ????
???? Bridget Williams | 4.73m
???? Katie Moon | 4.73m
???? Brynn King | 4.73m
#TrackTown24 x #TrackFieldTrials24 pic.twitter.com/J1BAZCNwRo— TrackTown USA (@TrackTownUSA) July 1, 2024
In addition to Williams, Waynesburg Central grad Marissa Kalsey also participated in the women’s pole vault trials and finished 11th.
Wiltrout, a 2017 Connellsville grad, graduated from North Carolina last spring after setting school and ACC records (60.03 meters, 196-11) in the javelin. She reached the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials after finishing seventh with a throw of 53.83 meters (176-7).
At Connellsville, Wiltrout was a four-time WPIAL and PIAA javelin champion and a two-time Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year. She also set WPIAL, state and national records. She then became a four-time All-American at North Carolina.
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
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