University of Delaware Athletics
Women’s 50th Profile: Ashley Bailey, Track & Field
4/22/2020 8:04:00 PM | Track & Field, 50 Years of Women's Athletics
Standing at just over five-foot-tall, Ashley Bailey's physical presence may not have been the most intimidating.
Once she stepped on the run way with a pole in her hand, Bailey struck fear in the eyes of her opponents and her legacy left on the University of Delaware track & field program will be evident by just one glance at the record books.
A native of Middletown, Del., she came to the Blue Hens as a proven winner, taking home DIAA state championships in the pole vault as a sophomore, junior and senior with the Cavaliers. Her state record of 12' 3" still remains active.
Prior to Bailey's arrival in Newark, no Blue Hen had ever cleared 13 feet in the pole vault. By the time her career ended, she cleared it on six different occasions.
"She really blossomed over her four years," head coach Wendy McFarlane-Smith said. "She had an incredible work ethic and put a lot behind staying at the top of her game throughout her career. When she got into meet situations, she never backed down. She was going to do everything in her power to win."
In her four years, Bailey piled up 28 victories in the pole vault between her indoor and outdoor seasons. She was a three-time medalist at the ECAC Championships, including taking home the ECAC Indoor Championship in 2018.
She was a four-time medalist at the CAA Championships, including the top spot in 2018 and two second place finishes (2017, 2019). In addition, she was a part of the 2019 CAA Championship for the Blue Hens.
She was a two-time NCAA Preliminary qualifier, earning a spot in both 2018 and 2019. She is just the one of seven student-athletes in program history to reach the NCAA Postseason in back-to-back seasons.
A look at the record books and Bailey holds both the indoor (13' 1/4") and outdoor (13' 5 1/4") by more than six inches in each.
More importantly, Bailey set her sights on becoming the first college graduate in her family and is on pace to do that this spring after helping coach this year's vaulters for the Blue Hens.
Once she stepped on the run way with a pole in her hand, Bailey struck fear in the eyes of her opponents and her legacy left on the University of Delaware track & field program will be evident by just one glance at the record books.
A native of Middletown, Del., she came to the Blue Hens as a proven winner, taking home DIAA state championships in the pole vault as a sophomore, junior and senior with the Cavaliers. Her state record of 12' 3" still remains active.
Prior to Bailey's arrival in Newark, no Blue Hen had ever cleared 13 feet in the pole vault. By the time her career ended, she cleared it on six different occasions.
"She really blossomed over her four years," head coach Wendy McFarlane-Smith said. "She had an incredible work ethic and put a lot behind staying at the top of her game throughout her career. When she got into meet situations, she never backed down. She was going to do everything in her power to win."
In her four years, Bailey piled up 28 victories in the pole vault between her indoor and outdoor seasons. She was a three-time medalist at the ECAC Championships, including taking home the ECAC Indoor Championship in 2018.
She was a four-time medalist at the CAA Championships, including the top spot in 2018 and two second place finishes (2017, 2019). In addition, she was a part of the 2019 CAA Championship for the Blue Hens.
She was a two-time NCAA Preliminary qualifier, earning a spot in both 2018 and 2019. She is just the one of seven student-athletes in program history to reach the NCAA Postseason in back-to-back seasons.
A look at the record books and Bailey holds both the indoor (13' 1/4") and outdoor (13' 5 1/4") by more than six inches in each.
More importantly, Bailey set her sights on becoming the first college graduate in her family and is on pace to do that this spring after helping coach this year's vaulters for the Blue Hens.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
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