It's been a crazy weekend for the Girls High Jump.
But first, a little history.
Back in 2023, Camryn Cole (Webster Schroeder) became just the third ever girl to clear 6-0 in the High Jump. That was Indoors, where only the Indoor State Record Holder Alison Smith (Clarence - 1987) was ahead of her, at 6-1. Outdoors, there was a pivot to the Hurdles and the Long Jump, where she became a dual State Champion, but she never did challenge the Outdoor State Record of Shelly Choppa (Glens Falls -1990).
Cole's jump was a revelation. High Jump had been stagnant for years. For reference, only 15 athletes have ever cleared 5-10 Outdoors. One of them was Cole. The next most recent was 2015. There were two in 2011.
The rest? All were from the 80's and early 90's.
The most recent addition to that list was Ella Michelitch (Minisink), who cleared 5-10 as a Sophomore in 2024. An accomplished pentathlete, Michelitch found the HJ to be her specialty, and converted that to a State Title in 2025 Spring.
Flash forward to this year, and the bar has been raised, pun intended.
Seeing what's possible, the Indoor State Championships became the most competitive in State History. Paige Fessler (Valley Stream North) and Kate Voelker (Manhasset) found themselves at a three way tie over 5-10. Fessler had won the Outdoor State Title in 2025, as Michelitch went to pentathlon. Head-to-head-to-head, and Michelitch pulled out the win, with a first round clearance of 5-11.
On to Outdoor.
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Like any good Spring Season, the real debut was Penn Relays. The three girls returned, and ultimately, it whittled down to two. Michelitch and Voelker found themselves tied for the win, and it was off to a jump off at 5-10.5. Decided on the first attempt, Voelker cleared without contact, and secured the first Penn Relays HJ title since 2004. It was also her first major title.
The trio headed back to their individual sections.
Voelker had three more clearances of 5-10 at local invites. Heading into Penn, she had set a PR of 5-11.25, after the bar had been re-measured on 6-foot standards. The big jumps were only a matter of time to come.
Upstate, Michelitch was doing much the same in local duals. But it would be this past weekend where the breakthrough would happen.
At the OCIAA Champs on Saturday, Michelitch cleared 5-10 on the first attempt, and then threw the bar up. On her second attempt on the height, she cleared 6-0.5 for the win, becoming only the second New Yorker to ever go over 6-feet Outdoors. It was just a quarter inch under the State Record. The bar was moved up to 6-1, but with three misses.
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That jump was on Kate Voelker's mind heading into Monday's Class Championship. It too was a clean sheet over 5-10. The bar went up to 6-0. Her first attempt, she was clean over. The crowd cheered, but then the bar shook, and fell. Up again the bar went. Her second attempt, there was no room for doubt. Fully over, no questions asked, room to spare.
Knowing what happened over the weekend, and feeling good in her legs, Voelker pushed the bar up to the State Record, 6-1. Again, it was a miss on the first attempt. But on the second, magic happened. Clear over, no questions asked. The bar would then go to 6-1.5 for the National Lead, but three misses later, and the day was done.
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Kate Voelker now holds the Outdoor State Record, breaking the 36-year old mark in the process. She is also tied for the Absolute Record, which contains the indoor mark set by Smith.
The trio of Michelitch, Voelker, and Fessler will surely meet again, as the Season is young, and the bar has been raised. New York has two girls within the US Top 5 in the event, for the first time ever. Fessler will be back next year, as well as two other girls over 5-8. We truly are living in a new age of jumping.