DeLand native advances to U20 Track and Field World Championships

Florida International freshman and former DeLand pole vaulter Kylie Neira will be heading back to Oregon.

Neira finished second in the women’s pole vault at the USA Track and Field Under-20 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 18 with a 4.25-meter vault, earning her a trip back to Hayward Field for the U20 World Championships beginning Aug. 5.

Neira’s vault broke a previous personal best of 4.22 meters that set an FIU freshman record at the Hurricane College Invitational on March 27. On Thursday, her new record finished second behind Tennessee’s Hannah Grace, who vaulted 4.45 meters.

Neira previously became the only Volusia County girls pole vault state champion since the turn of the century, claiming golds in 2023 and 2024.

The Panthers had another participant in discus thrower Tim Beauchamp, a New Smyrna Beach graduate. Beauchamp finished sixth with a 57.49-meter heave, which surpassed the FIU freshman record he set with a 53.89-meter toss also at the Hurricane College Invitational.

Recent New Smyrna Beach graduate Brison Sullivan finished sixth in the javelin with a 61.31-meter toss.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kylie Neira qualifies for Track and Field U20 Worlds Championships