At the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Julia Fixsen made winning a national title look effortless.
Her title-clenching vault (14 feet, 7 inches; 4.45 meters) wasn't by the skin of her teeth, as she cleared it with ease on her first attempt.
Fixsen felt confident and relaxed stepping on the runaway that evening, knowing world-class coach Bob Phillips and three nationally ranked teammates were by her side.
But Fixsen's path to national champion was certainly not easy – it required switching schools, battling foot pain and hours of hard work.
As a former gymnast and a 2021 transfer from Georgia, Fixsen joined the Hokies to take her vaulting to the next level. She knew how much Tech's track program valued the event, being one of the few schools in the country with a coach dedicated exclusively to pole vault.
"Coach Phillips is just an amazing coach, and it's special because his focus is completely on us," Fixsen said. "That's actually a huge deal. Every practice of every week, he's there, he's coaching and it makes us consistent."
Phillips, a former All-American at Tech, has mastered the formula for success. During his 37 years as the coach of the Hokies' pole vaulters, Phillips' vaulters have won 38 individual ACC titles and two national titles. It also helps that head coach Dave Cianelli buys into the event, providing poles and any resources that are needed to help the program.
Fixsen knew that Tech's program, dubbed "Pole Vault U" by some circles, had what she needed to win.
Transitioning to a new school had its challenges. Fixsen faced an unfamiliar community and a different training program. She also had to regain confidence in her vaulting. Coming out of Georgia, she had missed the pit and landed on the right side when jumping on larger poles.
But after Coach Philips corrected her technique on the short-run jumps, her impact as a Hokie was instant. At the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Fixsen earned bronze, finishing a couple spots behind her national champion teammate Rachel Baxter.
As the 2022-23 season began, Fixsen knew she could win both an ACC and national title. She just needed to stay consistently confident.
"The whole year I was working on my confidence," Fixsen said. "For me, that meant jumping bars [as opposed to using a bungee] in practice so that I wasn't afraid when the bar came up in meets."
Fixsen's mental toughness was tested at the 2023 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Due to a previous injury, her foot had been flaring up during the season, so she felt intense pain when making her attempts. But Fixsen knew that she needed to clear the 14-foot, 5-inch (4.40 meters) bar for points.
"Everything was on the line for that jump," Fixsen said. "I knew I wasn't going to win, but I didn't care. I had to step up because my team needed the points."
Despite the pain, Fixsen managed to clear that bar. Many teammates and fans later told her that she was the reason Tech won the team competition by one point.
Fixsen no longer felt she was lacking in confidence, setting her sights on winning the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was only a matter of keeping her foot pain free.
"The most important thing she did [to prepare] was stay patient and do an excellent job of cross training as we worked through the issues with her foot," Phillips said. "It made a big difference."
On the day of the championship, Fixsen focused on conserving her energy so that she could jump as many heights as possible. There were 24 vaulters, meaning a long competition. To allow for maximum recovery time, she didn't complete the full warm up, laid down between jumps and made sure to clear each bar on the first attempt.
Even more importantly, she had three teammates competing alongside her.
"One of the things that made her confident and comfortable," Phillips said, "was having three teammates right there with her, so there wasn't the pressure of being the only person there."
For Fixsen, having those girls by her side made the meet seem less daunting and more like practice. Instead of feeling any unnecessary pressure, she felt a whole new level of support from the girls she spends hours with every day.
It was the perfect way to win a national title.
"When I cleared that final bar, I was just so excited," Fixsen said. "I had to scream. I've cleared that bar before many times, but never like that."
She's not done yet, either. With two seasons remaining, Fixsen has her sights set on jumping even higher. She aims to compete at the pro level after graduation, just like her teammate Baxter.
It's a genuine love for the sport that drives Fixsen, and she hopes that her journey can inspire the next generation of athletes.
"I'd love to be an inspiration to people," Fixsen said. "Growing up, I looked up to some amazing female athletes. To think that I could be a role model for younger girls is pretty cool."
Writing HERstory Campaign
Coinciding with Women's History Month in March and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Virginia Tech Athletics launched a multi-platform brand campaign celebrating the incredible achievements of its female student-athletes, both past and present, while inspiring the next generation of women who aspire to achieve their dreams through athletics. In partnership with Truist, Tech will share stories of its past and current female student-athletes over the course of the calendar year. Ranging from podcast interviews to feature stories and more, the incredible moments and achievements by women over the years in Virginia Tech Athletics will be celebrated. To make a direct impact on the program or to sign up for the monthly Writing HERstory newsletter.