Even though her days at the University of Notre Dame are over, Mary Saxer isn�t close to hanging up her pole. . .

There are 14 returning members of Team USA from the World Championship team in Istanbul, including three-time champion Lagat (3,000m), 2014 U.S. champion pole vaulter Mary Saxer. . .

Jordan Scott had to build the suspense before he set a meet record in Saturday night's Jammin' and Jumpin' Street Vault, and Mary Saxer took a relaxed approach to claim another "big" check from the event. . .

Jordan Scott had to build the suspense before he set a meet record in Saturday night's Jammin' and Jumpin' Street Vault, and Mary Saxer took a relaxed approach to claim another "big" check from the event. . .

Following Friday night's masters competition, the sixth annual Jammin' and Jumpin' Street Vault continues today on the riverfront and has drawn a field that includes former Olympians, near-Olympians and perhaps future Olympians. . .

The former Notre Dame pole vaulter was hoping to qualify for the Summer Olympics in her event, but last month at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., the 25-year-old South Bend resident just missed getting her ticket stamped, placing fourth. . .

. . ."I hope you're not trying to check that," Mary Saxer, who will be jumping in the trials here, said in a nasal tone, mimicking the curmudgeonly character she often encounters. . .

Mary Saxer never dreamed of a professional pole vault career when she was in high school. Who would? But then, in the summer between her sophomore and junior years, Saxer attended a camp for sprinters and long jumpers in her home state of New York. . .

The story for Mary Saxer began at Lancaster High School in 2003. Under the suggestion of Rick Suhr, she picked up a pole for the first time. The results were explosive. . .

Under a ceiling that loomed like a hovering spaceship, Mary Saxer hit the bar during the women's pole vault competition at the U.S. Open Track and Field meet. . .

Mary Saxer was the first high school vaulter to clear 14 feet surprising many with her meteoric rise to the top within a very short period of time. She also set an American Junior record and a world leading mark for the under 17 year age group. . .

Mary Saxer of the U.S. drops to the mat after clearing the bar in the pole vault at the US Open Track and Field meet at Madison Square Garden in New York January 28, 2012.

Reuters/Ray Stubblebine

In turning in a personal-best vault of 4.62m at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Albuquerque, N.M., 2009 Notre Dame alum and All-American pole vaulter Mary Saxer. . .