Matt Deery, the Warren County pennsylvania  record-holder in the pole vault while at Phillipsburg High School, got his collegiate career off to a flying start for Lipscomb University this past weekend.Literally.

Deery, on his first attempt as a collegian, cleared 14 feet, 5.25 inches to finish second at the Saluki Booster Indoor Track and Field Invitational held on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. That height was just two inches off Lipscomb’s school record.

Deery, who won the NJSIAA Group 4 state title last year while a senior at P’burg, cleared 15-0 to raise his own Warren County record while finishing second for the second straight year at the Meet of Champions last June.