Camas Grad Vaults Into NCAA Contention

Pole vault is a weird event to follow from the outside because a season can turn on a few inches. That is basically what happened for Montana’s Shealyne McGee last week. The former Camas High standout cleared 4.15 meters — 13 feet, 7.25 inches — at the Tom Gage Classic in Bozeman, tying Montana’s outdoor school record and giving herself a much better shot at the NCAA West First Round. The jump also got her Big Sky women’s field Athlete of the Week on May 11. ### Why was this such a big jump? Because McGee was already close, but not safe. Going into the final regular-season meet, Montana’s own preview had her at 13-4.25 and ranked 43rd in the NCAA West region, with the clear warning that she would likely need to go one or two bars higher to lock down a top-48 spot for regionals. She did exactly that. She went up nearly 3 inches and hit the mark she needed at the last useful moment. (gogriz.com) ### What exactly did she tie? She matched Montana’s outdoor school record at 4.15 meters. That matters because this is not some out-of-nowhere breakthrough from a newcomer — McGee has been building toward this for a while. She already owned the school’s indoor record after clearing 4.13 meters, or 13-6.5, in February 2025, and she had already made an NCAA West regional trip back in 2023. So this latest jump fits a pattern: steady climb, then a late-season hit. (gogriz.com) ### Where does she stand in the Big Sky? Near the very top. The Big Sky’s weekly honors release said McGee’s 4.15-meter clearance is the second-best women’s outdoor pole vault in the conference this season. That is the kind of detail that tells you this is not just a school-record story — it is a conference-title story too. If only one athlete in the league has gone higher, McGee walks into the Big Sky championships as a real contender, not a dark horse. (gogriz.com) ### Why does the timing matter so much? Because the regular season is over. There are not many chances left to improve a mark before postseason selection gets sorted out. Montana’s May 8 recap framed the Bozeman meet as a last push in both the conference and regional races, and McGee delivered the biggest women’s result of the day. In track, late timing can be everything — especially in a technical event where one clean day changes the whole bracket. (bigskyconf.com) ### What happens next? Montana heads to the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Portland from May 13 through May 16. McGee is now arriving there with momentum, a weekly conference honor, and a mark that has already put everyone else in the league on notice. Montana’s release called this her second career Athlete of the Week award, which is another clue that this is a proven vaulter peaking at the right time. (gogriz.com) ### Is she officially in the NCAA meet now? Not quite — and that is the catch. Montana said before the Tom Gage Classic that she was on the bubble, and the school’s post-meet story said the 4.15 mark made “great progress” toward a regional berth rather than declaring the spot clinched. So the safest read is this: McGee moved from anxious bubble territory toward probable qualification, but final regional positioning still depends on the full West list. (gogriz.com) ### Why does this story travel beyond Montana? Because it is a clean example of how college track really works. You spend weeks stacking marks, then one meet turns a solid season into a postseason one. McGee’s jump did three things at once — tied a school record, boosted her conference standing, and likely improved her NCAA case. That is a lot of payoff from 2.75 inches. (gogriz.com) ### Bottom line? McGee did not just have a nice meet in Bozeman. She gave herself a real shot to turn a strong season into another NCAA trip — and she did it right before championship week. (gogriz.com)