Lenape Valley grad vaults high in Boston

By Laurie Gordon
Boston, MA — Byram native, Kari Murnane, a senior at the University of New Hampshire, established the second highest mark in the school’s history when she cleared 3.70 m (12 feet, 2 inches) in the pole vault at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship (ECAC) held at Boston University March 3 and March 4.
The previous week, Murnane qualified for the prestigious meet by taking Runner Up honors in the America East Conference Championship with a jump of 3.65m (12 feet, 0 inches).
“I was a gymnast growing up competing in gymnastics up to Level Nine,” Murnane said. “I wanted to be a member of a HS sports team and LVR does not have gymnastics. My dad researched how I could transfer my gymnastics skills to a HS sport and it is a good pairing to pole vault or dive. Lenape Valley Regional High School did not have a dive team so pole vault it was. I started to train at a club team 'Vertical Assault' in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the summer after 7th grade. Then I transferred to 'The Flying Circus' club team in Warwick NY during high school. Here I continue to train today over college breaks and summer break.”
It was something different to be a female pole vaulter.
“I don't know if they thought it was different for girls or just different in general," she said. "There were not many high schools with strong pole vault at the time. It is a unique sport, difficult to train off season without an indoor gym, and takes a unique combination of skills (strength, speed, coordination, and a little bit of a daredevil attitude).”
Murnane set the Lenape Valley Regional pole vault record her freshman year (2011). She was NJ Sectional Champion by junior year (2013), and went to NJ Meet of Champions two times in her Sophomore (2012) and Senior (2014) years. In college, she has gone to the America East Conference Championships all four years, indoor and outdoor seasons thus far (seven times) and placed in the top eight every meet - finishing in second place this past indoor season 2017/2018.
Murnane will graduate this May with a BS in Nursing.
She said, “It has been very challenging to balance being a Division I athlete and a nursing major with a demanding clinical schedule etc. I typically practice and travel to meets 25-30 hrs per week in addition to getting up a 4am for clinical days.”
Upon graduation, Murnane hopes to find a RN position in acute care in a major hospital in New England or back in NJ.
"I would love to work in pediatrics," she said.
Murnane thanked by name her coaches at the Flying Circus Pole Vault Club in Warwick — Tim St. Lawerence, Hugh Cauthers and Stephanie Duffy.
"They have been such an important part of my pole vault development physically and mentally," she said. "They have stuck with me through many tough times and injuries and given me the confidence to do things in the sport I never dreamed possible. Every time I get down on myself or discouraged my mom says 'its time to pay a visit to the barn.' We train in an old barn converted to a pole vault club in Warwick. I have also had a strong coaching staff at UNH that has supported me and pushed me to be the best athlete and student that I could be.”
As for her future in the sport, Murnane said, “I'm very sad to be finishing up my competitive career this spring. But I'm thinking I may want to coach pole vault in the future to help other athletes experience what I have had the privilege to experience. It's been awesome!”