COLUMBIA — With most of the events finishing up for the evening at the State Track and Field Championships on Friday at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, the attention was turned to the Class AAA boys’ pole vault competition.

In the event was Daniel's Graham McWilliams, a senior who looked to close out his career as a top athlete in track and field.

“The season went very well for me this year,” he said. “I was undefeated throughout the year all the way up to State Qualifiers.”

McWilliams laughed when asked about going up against the top pole vaulters in the state. "It is a great opportunity to compete against these guys. They all jump insanely high and a lot of them are younger than myself," McWilliams joked.

With the stakes the highest they could be, the performance of the vaulters needed to be extreme.

"I would say that my performance ranked around 80 percent today,” McWilliams said. “There were times where I made a few mistakes and I know I could jump higher, but it is all good. Indeed, it is all good because making it as one of the top eight individuals from AAA is something to be proud of.

When asked about the preparation, McWilliams was immediate to answer that it was more mental than physical.

"It is definitely more mental preparation because you see these guys out here jumping higher than you ever have before, so it takes a lot of thinking about how you approach your jump," he said.

With an early exit, McWilliams did not seemed to disappointed and was able to give his school a boost in the standings overall after Day One.

Notables in AAA girls’ competition. Daniel finished second in the 4x800 meter relay, Ashley Dunston from Seneca placed fifth in long jump, Daniel's Quincey Lewis finished third in shot put and second in discus, Daniel's Moniet Creebsburg finished eighth in discus, Seneca's Chelsea Taylor won pole vault, Seneca's Tiffany Lament placed sixth in pole vault, and Daniel's Emily Treglia finished seventh in pole vault.

AAA Girls Top 10 Standings (After Day One):

1. JL Mann 53

2. Daniel 25

3. Seneca 17

4. Greer 14

5. Blythewood 14

6. Chapin 10

7. Greenville 8

8. Carolina Forest 6

8. Wade Hampton 6

8. Dreher 6