Free State senior Drue Davis flashes a smile after clearing 12 feet, 8 inches in the pole vault. Davis set a state record in the event on Friday at the regional track meet in Olathe.

Olathe ? Throughout a decorated track and field career, Free State senior Drue Davis has turned in no shortage of dominant performances.

Friday night at the regional track meet, however, she might have outdone herself.

Davis, the defending Class 6A state champion in the pole vault, broke the state record in the pole vault, leaping 12 feet, 8 inches — a leap that tops her previous personal best by eight inches and last year’s state-title-winning jump by 14 inches.

“I kind of just feel like, ‘What?'” said Davis, who also finished in the top three in the 100- and 200-meter dashes to qualify for next week’s state tournament in Wichita (the top four finishers in each event move on) and help the Firebird girls team to a fifth-place finish.

Her jump was nearly four feet better than the next-closest competitor, and despite adjusting to a new pole for the first time, Davis, who cleared 12-8 on her first attempt, became the first Free State athlete to own a state track and field record.

“I was a little bit surprised, but she’s been jumping very easily over 11-6 and 12 feet, and so you hoped it would eventually come together,” said Free State coach Steve Heffernan, whose boys team finished third.

While Davis’ day certainly set the pace for the Firebirds, it was far from the Firebirds’ only notable performance.

Keene Niemack qualified for state in four events (200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, long jump and 4×400-meter relay) and Kain Anderson qualified in three (1,600-meter run, 3,200-meter run and 4×400-meter relay), helping the Firebirds to what Heffernan called one of the team’s best regional showings in a long time.

“Every surprise we’ve had is a good one,” Heffernan said.

Lawrence High, for its part, enjoyed some success as well Friday — particularly on the boys side, where the Lions finished fourth overall.

Roy Wedge rebounded from a recent hamstring injury to qualify in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, and Blake Hocking (shot put and discus) was also a multi-event qualifier.

“Every year at regionals, there’s somebody that expects to go to state and doesn’t and somebody that has no business going to state that ends up going,” LHS coach Jack Hood said. “And you just hope you’re on the right side of that.”

As for Davis, Heffernan wasn’t willing to say she’d reached her pole vaulting peak.

“Today she was using a new pole, and you could tell she wasn’t completely comfortable with it yet,” the coach said. “Give her another week with it, and maybe she can squeak out another three, four inches.”