Catching Up With Ashley D'Ambrosia '21

6/12/2024

She was a gymnast first.

Little did Ashley D’Ambrosia know way back then, though, that the hours upon hours she spent training would prepare her to become a record-setting, champion pole vaulter.

For a decade that ended when she began Cub sports at Collegiate, the 2021 alumna, now a Washington and Lee University senior, developed the skills, mindset, and competitive spirit that would enable her to excel in a high risk, high reward event requiring technique, strength, body control, self-discipline, and the ability to control fear while flying through the air.

“I’ve always been super competitive, not just with other people but with myself with grades and athletics,” she said. “Pole vault gives me the opportunity to be competitive but not necessarily with others. For me, I’d rather be last and jump well than win and not jump well.”

Ashley’s progression through Collegiate’s and W&L’s track and field programs has produced a résumé that shows that she’s jumped more than well and won her share of competitions.

She began vaulting as an 8th grader and, under the tutelage of the Cougars’ vault coach John Vellenoweth, developed into one of the top practitioners of her event at the local, league, and state levels. She won the VISAA indoor title in 2020, scored valuable team points with high finishes in championship meets, and ended her high school career with a personal best 11-6.

She also competed in the sprints and horizontal jumps and earned personal bests of 16-2 in the long jump, 33-4 in the triple jump, 12.93 in the 100, and 26.87 in the 200.

Her freshman year at W&L, she won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference indoor pole vault title (11-1). Her indoor personal best, 11-5, ranks third in program history, slightly behind Lizzy Stanton’s school record (11-7.75).

This past spring, she won the ODAC outdoor championship with a vault of 11-8. Two weeks later, she ensured herself a spot in the NCAA Division III track and field championships with a school record 12-4 in the Dom Palooza Last Chance Meet at High Point University.

At nationals, which was contested at the Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, she cleared the opening height, 11-2, as well as 11-8, and ended the spring ranked 21st among all Division III vaulters.

She also shares the W&L 4x100 relay record (48.51) with Jordynn Palethorpe, Simmons Lee, and Katelyn Gamble. With Ashley running the leadoff leg, they set the mark April 20 at the Johns Hopkins/Loyola Invitational.

One morning recently, Ashley, a neuroscience major, sat on the porch of Collegiate’s Jacobs Gym and spoke of her journey.

When did you decide that you wanted to continue with track in college?

I considered [playing college] volleyball my freshman and sophomore years, but I didn’t consider track until November of my senior year when I talked to (Collegiate graduat) Walker Miller, who was on the volleyball team at W&L. One of her best friends was a dual sport (volleyball and track) athlete. She said, “If you come here, you can totally be on the track team, and the coach (Dana Freeman) is awesome.”

I thought, Why not give it a try? I’ll see if I can get better. When I reached out to the coach, she was so nice. She said, “You have a spot on the team.” So going into my freshman year, I was really excited to do track, but it was a very last-minute decision.

What about pole vaulting speaks to you?

You can always get better. For me, if I have a good takeoff, the rest of the vault comes really easily. If I try to think of one cue before I jump that’s related to the takeoff, it all comes together. My coach has even said that as my takeoff has become more consistent, I’ve become a more consistent jumper. I try to focus on that one thing rather than the entire vault as a whole.

How do you prepare mentally for competition?

This year, I’ve gotten more confident and been able to clear bars on my third [and final] attempt. I struggled a lot this season with not getting my opening height on my first jump. In the past, it would have freaked me out, but now I take the mentality of “I know I can clear this. I just have to fix this one thing.” I’ve gotten a lot better at handling those situations. I’m just growing as a jumper, I guess.

How have you done that?

It’s little bit of me figuring it out, but also my coach. A lot of times, she’s suggested that I move up to another pole, but I’ve been a little bit hesitant. That’s when she’d say, “I’m not going to make you do anything that you don’t feel comfortable with.” Then, this year, I was the one that said, “Do you think it’s OK that I move up?” and she’ll say, “Yes, it’s totally OK. I know you can do it.”

It seems as if there’s great trust between the two of you.

Yes. I love her coaching. She’s honestly seen me grow as a vaulter from freshman year to now. I’ve had some ups and downs. Freshman year, in our first meet, I did not jump well at all. I was really upset and frustrated about it. So many times, she said, “Ashley, this is what happens to freshmen. You’re adjusting to so many different things. You might not jump as well as you did in high school.” Now, she’ll say, “Look how far you’ve come.” It’s been awesome.

What was it like competing in the national championship meet?

My goal this season was to qualify for nationals. The best athletes in track in DIII were there and only the top 22 [vaulters]. A lot of them were from different regions. I didn’t recognize any of them. That was kind of intimidating. A lot of the girls were at indoor nationals together or were in the same conference and knew each other. I was ranked 21st, and I wasn’t expecting to get Top 8 (All-American) at all. My goal was to clear a bar. I did that, so I was happy.

What makes track and field fun and the grind worthwhile?

I love the track team at W&L. They’re so supportive. And the ability to get better. I don’t have a ceiling. As long as I keep improving and getting on bigger poles, I can keep jumping higher.

What are your goals moving forward?

My main goal leaving Collegiate was getting 12 feet and qualifying for nationals, so this year I accomplished all my past goals. Now, I need to set new goals. Hopefully, I can qualify again for nationals. I also hope to jump 13 feet by the end of the year.

Is your measure of success a tangible height or just improving?

I would definitely be disappointed if I wasn’t able to jump 13 feet by the end of senior year. If I’m able to keep improving, that bar is definitely [attainable]. As long as I don’t have any setbacks, it should happen. My coach says, “Ashley, don’t say ‘if...’ You’ve improved over a foot this season. That could happen again. You’ve put in the work to make it happen.”

When you first tried pole vaulting seven years ago, could you have imagined the success you’ve achieved?

Definitely not in my early stages. I was just doing it for fun. It wasn’t really until my senior year when I decided to do track in college that I thought this could be possible.

Sounds like it’s been a good ride.

Yes, it’s been fun. There’ve been moments that I wondered if I could keep going, but obviously I’m glad that I have. Overcoming setbacks has taught me a lot, not just as an athlete but as an individual.

~Weldon Bradshaw

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