By her performances, Hagan has assured any and all observers she is one of the best pole vaulters in the nation.

“I thought Brandi had a legitimate shot at winning,” said Paul Koutz, assistant track coach. “She performed well all season and at conference and peaked at the right time.”

Coming into nationals ranked No. 2, she had only one thought in mind: “I wanted to place higher than I did at the previous nationals.”

Given that she had placed third during indoors last year, there were only two places left to earn.

How close was she to first?

Tied, technically. According to the pole vault scoring system, if two or more athletes vault at the same height, the victor is the one who did it in the first attempt. If Hagan would have cleared every height in her first attempt, she would have tied the national champion.

Coming in, that was a daunting thought.

“I talked with Kevin Patterson, the pole vault coach, and he talked as if I would be nothing but a top contender at nationals,” said Hagan. “Although it motivated me, it made me very nervous, and I felt a lot of pressure.”

Looking back, Hagan was not entirely pleased with how she started. “I actually did not feel great about how I performed,” she said. “My first few jumps were rough, but I was able to pull it together. I was happy with the ultimate result of how I jumped.”

Looking ahead, Hagan is intent on going another step further once more at outdoor nationals in May.

“My goal is to place in the top two, and ultimately become the national champion,” she said.

Coach Koutz has similar views.

“I am proud of what she accomplished that weekend,” said Koutz, “but I know there are bigger goals to tackle.”