Event: Pole Vault
Height: 6-0
Weight: 141
PR: 4.92m/16-01.75AR (2008)
Born: Feb. 5, 1982 in Fredonia, N.Y.
Current Residence: Churchville, N.Y.
High School: Fredonia (NY) HS
College: Roberts Wesleyan ’05
Coach: Rick Suhr
Agent: Mark Wetmore
Club:adidas
Career Highlights: 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist; 2008 World Indoor silver medalist; Five-time USA Outdoor champion (’06-‘10); Five-time USA Indoor champion (’05, ’07-‘09, ’11); 2005 NAIA Indoor champion; American record holder indoors and outdoors
Suhr started the 2011 season by breaking her own American Record at the USA Indoor Championships, but during the outdoor season, she struggled with fatigue and cramps and did not surpass her indoor mark, falling short of a US Outdoor title for the first time since 2005. After finding out she has Celiac disease, she has altered her diet and is back to her 2008 form, and had the second best jump of her life, a clearance of 4.91m/16-1.25 at a a meet in Rochester. Stuczynski lived up to being the #2 women’s pole vaulter of all time in taking the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The American record-holder cleared 4.55m/14-11 on her first try, then passed 4.65 before clearing 4.70/15-5 on her first go as well. She cleared 4.75m/15-7 on her second attempt, then 4.80m/15-9 on her first to solidify the silver medal. In just a few short years, Stuczynski has become the reigning American queen of the pole vault, and she now threatens to become the best in the world. At the 2008 Olympic Trials, Stuczynski entered the competition at 4.60m/15-1.25 and only two other vaulters were still jumping. After two misses at her opening height, she went on to clear the bar by nearly a foot. She was the only vaulter to clear 4.65m/15-3.75, and she immediately had the bar raised to 4.76m/15-7.5 in an attempt to break Stacy Dragila’s 2004 Olympic Trials record of 4.75m/15-7. She easily soared over it on her first attempt, then raised the bar to 4.92m/16-1.75, 1 cm better than her own American record of 4.91m/16-1.5. After a close miss on her first attempt and a less-close miss on her second, she easily made it on her third try…She set two American records early in 2007, including becoming the first American to clear 16 feet with her jump of 4.88m/16-0 of at the Reebok Grand Prix… Stuczynski started the 2006 indoor season with a bang, setting personal bests at nearly every meet and becoming the #2 American all time, behind only Stacy Dragila, with her clearance of 4.68m/15-4.25, she then captured her first USA Outdoor title with her winning clearance of 4.55m/14-11 at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships…was a standout basketball player for Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y., before taking up the pole vault in 2004…averaged 24.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game for Roberts Wesleyan in 2003-04, taking her team to the NCAA national championship game… graduated as school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball with 1,819 points… school record-holder in the 100mH at 14.66, also holds Roberts bests for the javelin, high jump, 400H and as a member of the 4x100m and 4x400m relays… won 2005 NAIA indoor national title in the pole vault with a 4.00m/13-1.5 clearance, also placed in the 55mH and HJ… followed up with a surprise win at the 2005 USA Indoor championships in Boston, soaring over 4.35m/14-3.25… won state pentathlon title as a senior at Fredonia High School… transferred from Roberts to Buffalo briefly, before returning to Roberts to complete her degree… has started work on a graduate degree in child psychology…married coach Rich Suhr on January 3, 2010.
