The picture shown above of Bryan Lay was taken roughly a year ago. That was him all by himself at Quitman High School as the sun was setting on a cold January day preparing for the upcoming track season.
Take a drive by the QHS track virtually any day that he is not competing and you will still find him sprinting down the runway, planting the pole and soaring skyward before going over the bar and free falling to the padded landing area below. Over and over again. Day in and day out.
There is only one difference between now and then.
When this photo was taken Lay was a budding young pole vaulter trying to make his mark on the Class B track and field scene. Now Peanut is recognized as the top high school pole vaulter in the entire state of Louisiana – regardless of classification.
That was achieved on Saturday, when Lay cleared 14′ 10″ at the Last Chance Qualifier meet held in the indoor track complex on the campus of LSU – Baton Rouge shattering his own personal best, Quitman High and Jackson Parish record by an incredible ten inches.
The record vault marks the fourth time in less than a year and third in less than a month that Peanut has set new career marks and eclipsed school and parish records. Entering into the 2024 indoor track season, the two time Class B state champion had vaulted 13’6″ at the Quitman Relays late in March 2023, to break the previous record that had stood for 60 years.
On January 20th, Lay broke his own record when he vaulted 13’9″ at the LSU High School Qualifier held at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse, good for second place in the meet that qualified him for the upcoming Louisiana state indoor meet.
Seven days later Lay traveled to Lake Charles to take part in the McNeese Indoor II High School Invitational. It was there that Peanut achieved his longtime goal of 14 feet, finishing 4th overall but tops among Louisiana High School athletes. That set the stage for this past Saturday’s incredible record shattering performance.
To view Lay making his record breaking vault and the celebratory reaction that followed go to Michelle Lay’s Facebook page.
Lay voted MileSplit LA Performer of the Week
Bryan Lay’s performance in the McNeese Indoor Relays where he vaulted 14″ 0″ in the pole vault competition for the first time in his career not only caught the eyes of local supporters but apparently raised the eyebrows of high school track and field followers all over the state of Louisiana.
This became obvious when Lay was voted MIleSplit LA Performer of the Week for the final week of January over seven other track and field athletes in the state by nearly a three-to-one margin over the next closest competitor in the statewide poll conducted by the website.
Lay earned the honor by collecting 14,559 of the 20,598 total votes cast, far outdistancing Scotlandville High School runner, Corinthian Walker, who was the first half miler to break the 2:00 barrier at the same McNeese Indoor meet.