Saratoga senior Mady Fagan finished her high school high jumping career on a positive note with a third-place finish at the state finals. Fagan and Upland’s Skyler Daniel both cleared 5-8, but Fagan was awarded third place due to fewer misses.
Quite a contrast to the way her junior season ended.
Fagan was far and away the top girls high jumper in the Central Coast Section as a junior, competing for Los Gatos High. She had a season-best of 5-10 3/4, but at the CCS finals she had a bad day, only clearing 5-1 to finish in a four-way tie for third place.
A jump off was staged to determine the section’s third qualifier for the state meet and Fagan came up on the short end.
A year later Fagan won CCS and took third at state.
“This is a bit of redemption,” she said. “It was a good way to end my high school track career.”
Fagan will compete collegiately at the University of Georgia.
“Four more awesome years to go,” she said. “It was kind of a leap of faith. Obviously there are a lot of good schools closer to home. But I feel it’s the right place for me. I could’ve been a big fish in a small pond or a small fish in a big pond. I didn’t want the attention of being a big fish.”