The Lauren McCluskey Foundation has made a donation to the Pullman High School Track and Field program to help purchase a new pole vault mat, underscoring its commitment to amateur athletics and the development of young athletes.
Established to honor the life and spirit of Lauren McCluskey, the Foundation is dedicated to changing the culture that poorly responds to relationship violence on college campuses. A core belief of the Foundation is that amateur athletics foster personal growth, teamwork, and community—making support for these programs an essential part of its mission.
Lauren’s Journey Through Track and Field
Lauren entered her first Junior Olympic (JO) association track meet at 8 years old and set JO records in high jump, long jump, and 400-meter run. At age 9, she was told that if she qualified for nationals, she could go. So, of course, she qualified for nationals in the 9-10 age group. She continued to compete nationally in high jump, hurdles, and multi-events, earning USA Track and Field All American (top 8) 19 times and setting many USATF association youth records, 12 of which still stand, and the Junior (U20) association record for heptathlon. As a high school freshman, she was WA State High School Champion in High Jump and 2nd in 100 meter hurdles. She high jumped 5’6″ in her sophomore year. She spent her junior year training at SPIRE and attending Andrews Osborne Academy in Ohio. She returned to Pullman for her senior year of high school. At the 2015 WA State High School meet, she qualified in four events, scoring in three, helping her team place third overall in the state. She set the Pullman High record for the 100-meter hurdles. She placed 9th at U.S. Junior (U20) Championships in the heptathlon that year.
Lauren graduated from Pullman High with honors and accepted a Track & Field scholarship at the University of Utah. At Utah, she competed in the multi-events and high jump. She was a loyal Ute and rooted for them with gusto. She earned PAC-12 (hon. mention) and MPSF All-Academic Awards and was 10th on the all-time performance list for the Utes in the pentathlon at the time of her death.
Rising High in Pole Vault and Carrying Lauren’s Legacy Forward
The Foundation’s gift comes at an exciting time for Pullman’s current pole vaulters. At the season-opening Sweeney Invitational, which hosted 20 teams, Chris Druffel claimed first place in the boys’ pole vault with a 12-foot clearance, followed by teammates Darryl Fu and Luke Genz, who finished third and fourth, respectively. On the girls’ side, Maile Sandberg took second, and Gloria Miller placed fourth. The team continued its strong showing at the Lewiston Invitational, another 20-team meet, where Druffel again took gold, Fu placed second, and Sandberg placed third in the girls’ competition with a 9-foot clearance, securing a current #3 state ranking in Washington’s 2A division.
The Foundation is proud to support these athletes and honor Lauren’s enduring legacy in Pullman and beyond.
