Weeks family adds 2nd national record

Former Cabot standout Lexi Weeks set the high school national outdoor girls pole vault record by clearing 14 feet, 7 1/2 inches Saturday at the Freedom Vault Meet at Arkansas Vault Club in Black Springs.
Former Cabot standout Lexi Weeks set the high school national outdoor girls pole vault record by clearing 14 feet, 7 1/2 inches Saturday at the Freedom Vault Meet at Arkansas Vault Club in Black Springs.

It was Lexi Weeks' last shot to reach her ultimate goal before heading to the University of Arkansas, and the former Cabot High School standout capitalized on it at her second home.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Lexi Weeks (right) and her twin sister Tori.

Weeks set the high school national outdoor girls pole vault record by clearing 14 feet, 7 1/2 inches Saturday at the Freedom Vault Meet at Arkansas Vault Club in Black Springs, where she and her sister Tori have trained since they were in the eighth grade.

Weeks surpassed Desiree Freier's previous mark of 14-7 1/4 set in 2014. Freier recently completed her freshman season at Arkansas, where she'll be joined by Lexi and Tori in the fall.

The record, which is officially recognized by Track and Field News, was even sweeter because it gave the Weeks family both of the high school girls national records for outdoors and indoors.

Tori Weeks already held the indoor record of 14-4 set June 14 at the Arkansas Vault Club's School's Out meet. That vault broke Lexi's mark of 14-3 1/4 inches set in February at the club.

"I couldn't ask for any better way," Lexi Weeks said of having both records in the family

Morry Sanders has coached the Weeks sisters for the past five years at Arkansas Vault Club, and he said he has talked to them about breaking the national records ever since he first met them.

"I knew they had the ability to break these records," Sanders said. "I've been talking to them about this for a long time. Until this year, it wasn't realistic. Coming into this year, they had put the time in. I knew one of them would break the record."

Lexi Weeks opened Saturday's meet by clearing 13-1 3/4. She also cleared 13-7 1/2 and 14-1 3/4 before going for the national record.

She missed on her first attempt at 14-7 1/2, then switched to a new pole and cleared the bar.

Lexi Weeks said she was shocked to break the record.

"It was my last meet," Weeks said. "It was the Fourth of July. I wanted to have fun."

The national title capped a fun-filled year for Lexi Weeks on the high school track and field circuit.

Weeks was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's All-Arkansas Preps female athlete of the year and its girls track and field athlete of the year for the 2014-2015 season. She won pole vault titles at the Class 7A state meet and Meet of Champions and bested her sister by one point to win the high school heptathlon title in front of their hometown fans at Panther Stadium in Cabot.

Things haven't slowed down for the sisters after their graduation in May. Last month Lexi and Tori competed in the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., and the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. Tori won both events, clearing 14-1 in New Mexico and 13-7 1/4 in North Carolina.

"She's been jumping great all season," Lexi Weeks said. "She's very happy with the ending of her season."

The Weeks sisters will enroll next month at Arkansas and join the Razorbacks women's track and field team that won the NCAA indoor championship this past season.

Sanders said sharing the national records only seemed fitting.

"It was the perfect ending for both of them."

Sports on 07/08/2015

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