Mineola girls track coach Daven Murphree did not hesitate when asked what it was about junior pole vaulter Tierany Neighbors that made her so special. 

“Aggression,” he stated. 

Murphree explained further, “Girl vaulters jump with technique; boys jump with strength…Tierany vaults with aggression.”

Neighbors will be returning to Mineola for her senior year as the reigning girls 3A state record holder in the pole vault. Her 13-foot 1-inch vault was sufficient to set that record in Austin last month. 

Remarkably, however, it was far short of her 14’ personal best which Neighbors recorded this year at the regional meet in Whitehouse. 

However, it is not aggression which dominates a conversation with Neighbors, it is competitiveness. It is salted into every topic. 

“Regardless of what I am doing, I can always do better,” she shared, “I just have to find a way.” That competitive fire has been developed throughout her life.  

Tierany grew up competing with her brothers Tyson and Kipton, and especially her sister Jacelyn.  

Tyson is on the roster of the Fort Wayne, Ind. TinCaps – a minor league club of the San Diego Padres. Jacelyn, only two-years older than Tierany, vaults for the University of Nebraska and is third all-time in the Cornhusker female pole-vaulting record book. Kipton, also a successful vaulter, will be a multi-sport sophomore for the Yellowjackets in the fall.  

The four children took their lead from mom and dad. Father Brandon and mother Heather were both stand-out athletes. Dad was a baseball and football player, while Mom was a three-sport collegiate athlete.

“I remember all of us running behind Mom when she was out for one of her runs,” Neighbors recalled. 

The family taught not only competitiveness, but also self-confidence, decision-making and accountability. These traits shaped Neighbors’ personality and have made her a natural fit into Mineola ISD athletics.

Having relocated from Royce City last summer, the Neighborses were thrilled to find an accomplished pole vaulter on the Mineola staff. Murphree won three consecutive pole vault gold medals with Harmony High School in 2011, ’12 and ’13. As a Lumberjack at Stephen F. Austin University, Murphree vaulted a personal best of 17’8”.  

Neighbors and Murphree easily responded back and forth about the challenges of vaulting and the techniques which have made Neighbors so successful. 

An explosive sprinter, Neighbors’ aggression in the vault begins with her ‘seven lefts’ run-up. Her horizontal acceleration places maximum force into the transition from the horizontal to the vertical dimension.  

“I am concentrating the whole time on my three steps to a successful vault: 1. plant, arms up, feet down; 2. invert, hands to feet, and; 3. lay back and throw the pole,” Neighbors explained.

When passing over the bar and realizing that she has a successful vault, Neighbors conceded, “There simply is no feeling like that in the world…. I can’t even describe it.”

Given all of Neighbors’ athleticism, it is surprising that she credits much of her success to her mental readiness. Specifically, it is an unshakeable belief in self, coupled with positive imagery, which sets the stage.

Neighbors draws positive energy and separates herself from any negative influences. It has become so effective that she admits it is something which she has applied to other areas of her life.

Relocating to a new school in one’s high school years certainly has its challenges. Neighbors described how this spring’s track season and all the associated support turned a challenging situation into one which provided a wealth of positive energy.  

For an elite vaulter, it was very unselfish of Neighbors to contribute in any way she could with the Lady Jackets track team. That included not only a regional appearance in the triple jump, but also running in the 4x200-meter and 4x400-meter relays.

Neighbors related that it was the on-site support from her teammates which often made the difference between a successful and unsuccessful vault.

Success also doesn’t come without hard work.

“We usually do one long run a week, two days of sprint and strength conditioning and two days of jumping,” she noted. Murphree added that rings and high bar work are among the pole vault-specific exercises used to build upper body strength.  

Coach Murphree described, “I am most proud of Tierany for how she has matured from a talented pole vaulter to a full athlete and team leader. Her willingness to contribute and her example of hard work for the track team is something she should be incredibly proud of.”   

Neighbors expects more success in the upcoming year. Her immediate sights are set on the overall state girls pole vault record of 14’ 6 ¼.” Further down the road is competing at the NCAA Division 1 level, with possible Olympic try-outs also in the future.

It should be yet another amazing year for the young athlete with an unmatched competitive passion.