JERRY CITY — It came a little later than usual, but recent Elmwood High School graduate Reagan Briggs has
made her college decision.
Briggs, who just completed her senior year, has signed a national letter of intent to attend Eastern
Michigan University and join the women’s track and field team.
Briggs signed her letter in front of family, friends and coaches at Elmwood High School on Wednesday. She
said she had just decided to attend Eastern in the last few weeks.
“It’s something that I didn’t exactly expect,” Briggs said. “Once it came to crunch time at the end of
the season, all of the fuel from the season made me even more excited.
“Throughout the year I just wasn’t really sure if I wanted to do it or not,” she added. “But it’s
definitely something that I love and something that I’m always willing to work harder at and improve.”

A two-time Suburban Lakes League champion and three-time regional qualifier in the pole vault, Briggs was
recruited predominantly for that event. But she did say that she could compete in multiple events other
than the pole vault.
The decision to attend Eastern, which is giving Briggs a partial athletic scholarship, came down to the
last minute as she had planned on attending the University of Akron where she would have been a
preferred walk-on.
“I was supposed to be going to Akron as an invited walk-on, but nothing was too official yet. Eastern got
a hold of me just within the last few weeks and everything happened so fast,” Briggs said. “I went and
met the coach and went for a visit and liked what I saw. I got this big chance to go to two Division I
MAC (Mid-American Conference) schools so it’s been a pleasure. It’s been an honor.
“It was a little nerve-wracking,” she added. “I had been looking forward to Akron for so long. They’ve
got another great program and a great school. When it came to Eastern, I just felt more of a connection
with their coach. It’s a little closer (to home) than Akron, just a lot of aspects that came into play
better for me.”
Briggs is also looking forward to the opportunity of having her own personal pole vault coach, something
that she did not have at Elmwood. Briggs did receive help and instruction from her older brother Jordan,
Eastwood coach Brian Sabo, and Shawn Beamer, who conducts a camp in Bellevue.
“We don’t really have pole vault coaches here,” Elmwood coach Monica Arnold said. “We go up to her and
say, ‘Do what they tell you to do.’ Eastwood has been fabulous for her and some other coaches as well.
But we’re her little cheerleaders and that’s about it.
“I said Reagan, ‘Can you imagine working one-on-one with a pole vault coach?’ Who knows what she can do?
So that’s really exciting.”
Briggs will be joining a team at Eastern that just graduated a MAC champion in the pole vault in Jessica
Hemmingway. Hemmingway finished 12th at nationals last season and will be training for the Olympic
trials at Eastern and will be working some with Briggs.
One of the assets that Briggs possesses is similar to Hemmingway — her height. Briggs is 5-foot-10 while
Hemmingway is 6-0.
Briggs holds the Elmwood record with a height of 10-3 in the pole vault. She also had season bests of
17-7 3?4 in the long jump and 4-10 in the high jump and qualified for regionals in all three events as a
senior.
“After meeting (Eastern pole vault coach Jarel Langley) he seems to have a lot of confidence in me. That
really helps a lot,” Briggs said. “My goal, I hope by the time I graduate, is to be a MAC champion or
All-American, or both. That would be great, too.”
Briggs said she plans on majoring in communications and hopes to eventually work in broadcasting or
reporting.