RECRUITED

Carson Lenser University of South Carolina

By Kreager Taber

Photo provided by Carson Lenser

Carson Lenser’s athletic career began early. He learned to do gymnastics and play football, basketball, and baseball as a child. After taking part in track and field in middle school, his gymnastics background came in handy when he tried pole vaulting in eighth grade. Carson originally thought vaulting looked easy. But after clearing 9’ in his first competition, he was frustrated that it did not come naturally. He trained harder, realizing that there was always something that could be worked on and improved.

Later that year, Carson competed in his first national competition, the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Topeka, Kansas. He arrived at the meet with a personal best of 10’6” but the inspiration that he felt from the event, combined with adrenaline, pushed him to a new personal best of 12’7.5”. He tied for second place, fell in love with pole vault, and glimpsed himself competing in college.

That competition instilled a deep motivation to make his new dream of competing a reality. As a freshman in high school, Carson stopped training for other sports to focus full time on track and field. He sought out Coaches Morrey Sanders and Steve Irwin at the Arkansas Vault Club and began practicing with them two days per week. Though the Arkansas Vault Club is a 2.5-hour drive from his home in Vilonia, he arrives at every practice ready to give his best. His attitude impressed his coaches, who now rave about his character and work ethic.

“He has been self-motivated since the day I met him in the 8th grade, and has always worked hard to improve his technique,” says Coach Sanders. “Carson pushes himself to rise to the competition and he has a great time doing it, even if he’s having an off day.”

The summer before his sophomore year of high school, Carson spent each day working to improve as an athlete and move closer to his goal of jumping in college. His hard work paid off, and in his next season, he took second at the Arkansas 5A/6A Indoor High School State Championships with a jump of 15 feet. He also won the 400 meters, propelling his team to win the indoor state championship title.

During his outdoor season, Coach Sanders remembers that Carson was ranked to finish second at the state meet, but no-heighted. Carson was devastated. Still, he pushed his team to another state championship by winning the 400 meters and anchoring the winning 4x400 meter relay team that night. These wins encouraged Carson to stay motivated and introduced him to college coaches. In addition to the pole vault, the 4X400, and the 4X100, Carson has also competed as a decathlete. He placed third in the decathlon at the outdoor state meet in 2019.

Carson competed during the 2020 indoor season. He cleared 15’10” for seventh place at the 2020 UCS National Pole Vault Summit. Continuing to improve, he jumped a personal best of 16’6” at the Arkansas Vault Club Vertical Climb Pole Vault Meet in February. With this mark, he tied in national rankings with Clayton Simms of Louisiana, one of the top vaulters in the country who has since committed to the University of Kansas.

Carson also won the Arkansas 5A/6A Indoor High School State Championships. He vaulted in one outdoor competition before lockdowns meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 began, and outdoor sports seasons were cancelled.

Carson made the most of this time, traveling to private club meets at Mac Vault Academy in Texas and Bell Athletics in Jonesboro, Arkansas. After jumping a huge personal best of 17’ at a Bay Area Pole Vault Academy meet in Houston this past July, his dream of competing in college was within reach. In November of 2020, Carson committed to vault at the University of South Carolina.

As a senior, Carson is training hard to prepare himself. Though his school’s indoor season has been cancelled, Carson loves to travel for competitions.

Carson’s father Michael has been instrumental in his success. Himself an 800 meter and long-distance runner, he trained Carson in the sprints, making speed one of the strongest components of Carson’s vault. Carson is as fast from a 12-step as he is from a 16-step. Carson shares his personal success with his whole family, who have supported him throughout his career.

Off the runway, Carson likes to hang out with his friends, enjoy time on the lake, and speak with youth groups at different churches. Carson is currently attending in-person school at Vilonia High School and is enrolled in an honors medical program. Once a student at South Carolina, he is interested in studying either business with a focus in supply chain management, or medicine, specifically, nursing or athletic training.

Whatever he chooses, Carson’s faithful work ethic will help him become a successful student-athlete at South Carolina and continue to push him to new heights as a vaulter.