July 12, 2007

Las Lomas grad on fast track in college
Homes capped her freshman season at Cal Poly SLO as the BigWest Conference champion in the women's pole vault
By Robert Jordan

STAFF WRITER

Jenna Homes oozed with excitement as she recounted her freshman year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo -- and for good reason.

The 2006 Las Lomas High School graduate leapt to new heights during the 2007 season with the Mustangs' track and field program.

Homes entered Cal Poly on a down note after an ankle injury forced her to end her high school pole vaulting career with a no height at the California Interscholastic Federation state championships. At Cal Poly, Homes all but buried that memory.

Not only did she finish the season as the Big West Conference champion, clearing a height of 12 feet, 51/2 inches, but she also qualified for the NCAA West Regional Championships and set a new personal record.

"It was amazing," said Homes about her first year. "College was the best thing ever invented, better than pizza. Getting down there was unbelievable."

There is something to be said about the higher-learning environment.

In high school, Homes had never cleared 12-0. With more training and extra motivation, Homes shattered that mark. Homes cleared 12-10 in March to set a new personal record and qualify for regionals. The qualifying mark for regionals was 12-53/4.

"It was all in one day," said Homes, who finished 21st at regionals. "I went to the meet with 12-0 and that day I went 12-10. It was really strange.

"I just did what I do. I didn't try to do anything different. I had trained hard and different and gotten strong. I jumped 12-10 in March and then consistently went 12-6."

Part of her success was her natural ability that helped her set the Las Lomas freshman record with a height of 9-6 and the other was hard work.

At Las Lomas, Homes had become accustomed to an intense training regime. So it wasn't the college workouts that took time adjusting to. Instead it was the mental preparation.

"Being more focused that is harder," Homes said. "In high school you drove 10 minutes to Miramonte. But in college we are flying out to Texas. So getting your head in game is way more important."

That is what happened when she cleared 12-10 on March 3 at the Bennie Brown Invitational at Cal State Fullerton. The height tied her for fourth on Cal Poly's all-time list in the event with Shannon Flett, who also cleared the height in 2000. Paula Serrano holds the school record with a height of 13-8 set in 2000.

If Homes has her way, that mark will belong to her by the time she graduates.

"Next year 13-6," Homes said. "And I am going to nationals."