Lisa Gunnarsson Does It All

Entering the 2021 track and field season, no woman from LSU had ever won an NCAA title in the pole vault. Lisa Gunnarrson changed that in a hurry, but that wasn’t all she accomplished. She also continued to excel in the classroom as a mechanical engineering major as she scooped up numerous academic awards, some of which haven’t ever been won by an LSU athlete. We’ll rewind first to mid-March for her first career NCAA indoor title in the pole vault. She became the first woman in LSU history to win one at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It wasn’t a clean night by any means, but she cleared a total of six bars in the process and became the eighth-best performer in collegiate history en route to the title. She cleared bars of 4.16 meters, 4.26 meters, 4.36 meters, and 4.41 meters to be one of three competitors remaining. Gunnarsson cleared 14’ 7.50” (4.46 meters) on her first try at the height and the other two competitors failed clear the bar making her the national champ. She wasn’t done just yet though. Gunnarsson moved the bar to a height of 14’ 11.50” (4.56 meters) with the title already in her grasp and upped her own school record in the process with the clearance. It was an indoor personal best for the senior from Paris, France. The clearance of 14’ 11.50” makes her the eighth best performer in collegiate history. “To be the first person to accomplish something for your school is always a special occasion,” Gunnarsson noted after her NCAA indoor performance. “The joy when I cleared that final bar, and the other competitors missed, is something I’ll never forget. I set my mind to accomplish a goal, and I achieved it.” Lisa Gunnarsson collected her second NCAA title of the 2021 calendar year as she cleared a winning height of 14’ 5.25” (4.40 meters) on June 11 at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field. Gunnarsson, a native of Paris, France, was splendid in her performance as she did not miss a bar in four tries en route to her second career national title. After her win was confirmed, Gunnarsson moved the bar to 14’ 9” (4.50 meters) but was unable to clear that bar in three tries. With the win, she becomes the first woman to complete the NCAA indoor/outdoor sweep of pole vault national titles since Kylie Hutson did so in 2010 for Indiana State. “This performance shows me I can be on top of my game when it really matters,” Gunnarsson said. “The weather wasn’t great so I didn’t jump as high as I could, so it proved to me that I can compete no matter the conditions. I’m glad I got the 10 points for our team as well.” Now we switch gears to all the many academic awards she collected during the 2021 calendar year. Just prior to the SEC Outdoor Championships, Lisa was named the SEC Women’s Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. “Lisa embodies the true meaning of a student-athlete,” LSU track and field head coach Dennis Shaver said. “She gets it done in the classroom, gets it done in competition, and is just a great person to have on our team. We’re proud of all that she’s done thus far and we can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the future.” Gunnarsson becomes LSU’s first recipient of this award in program history. The native of Paris, France, is a current mechanical engineering major and sports a tidy GPA of 4.139. The pole vaulter arrived at LSU in the fall of 2018 and has broken a number of records since, in competition and in the classroom. She’s the school record holder in the indoor and outdoor pole vault. Indoors her school record is 14’ 11.50” (4.56 meters), and her best outdoor clearance of 14’ 9” (4.50 meters) in an LSU uniform; she cleared that bar near the end of March at the Texas Relays. Following the conclusion of the 2021 outdoor season, Gunnarsson was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Gunnarsson maintained a flawless transcript in the classroom all while accomplishing amazing feats on the pole vault runway this year. She won two NCAA titles – pole vault indoors, pole vault outdoors – while racking a number of academic awards as well that include SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll member, CoSIDA Academic All-District Team honoree, and a USTFCCCA academic award. She became the first woman since 2010 to sweep NCAA titles in the pole vault, and the two NCAA titles made her the first woman in LSU history to win a pole vault national title. Gunnarsson capped off the summer by being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team for the second straight season. She’s a 4x All-American athletically, and she’s a 3x SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll honoree and a three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association all-academic recipient.