Her title-clenching vault (14 feet, 7 inches; 4.45 meters) wasn’t by the skin of her teeth, as she cleared it with ease on her first attempt.
Fixsen felt confident and relaxed stepping on the runaway that evening, knowing world-class coach Bob Phillips and three nationally ranked teammates were by her side.
But Fixsen’s path to national champion was certainly not easy – it required switching schools, battling foot pain and hours of hard work.
As a former gymnast and a 2021 transfer from Georgia, Fixsen joined the Hokies to take her vaulting to the next level. She knew how much Tech’s track program valued the event, being one of the few schools in the country with a coach dedicated exclusively to pole vault.
“Coach Phillips is just an amazing coach, and it’s special because his focus is completely on us,” Fixsen said. “That’s actually a huge deal. Every practice of every week, he’s there, he’s coaching and it makes us consistent.”
Phillips, a former All-American at Tech, has mastered the formula for success. During his 37 years as the coach of the Hokies’ pole vaulters, Phillips’ vaulters have won 38 individual ACC titles and two national titles. It also helps that head coach Dave Cianelli buys into the event, providing poles and any resources that are needed to help the program.
Fixsen knew that Tech’s program, dubbed “Pole Vault U” by some circles, had what she needed to win.
Transitioning to a new school had its challenges. Fixsen faced an unfamiliar community and a different training program. She also had to regain confidence in her vaulting. Coming out of Georgia, she had missed the pit and landed on the right side when jumping on larger poles.
But after Coach Philips corrected her technique on the short-run jumps, her impact as a Hokie was instant. At the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Fixsen earned bronze, finishing a couple spots behind her national champion teammate Rachel Baxter.
As the 2022-23 season began, Fixsen knew she could win both an ACC and national title. She just needed to stay consistently confident.
“The whole year I was working on my confidence,” Fixsen said. “For me, that meant jumping bars [as opposed to using a bungee] in practice so that I wasn’t afraid when the bar came up in meets.”
Fixsen’s mental…
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