graphic of Katie Moon competing at Paris Olympics

Katie Moon '13 earns silver at Paris Olympics, now a two-time Olympic medalist

Published on Aug. 08, 2024
Athletics

On Wednesday (Aug. 7) in Paris, France, former Ashland University national champion Katie Moon earned a silver medal in the women's pole vault at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

Moon cleared the bar on her first attempt at 4.40 meters/14-feet-5¼, 4.60 meters/15-feet-1, 4.70 meters/15-feet-5, and 4.80 meters/15-feet-9, then her second attempt at 4.85 meters/15-feet-11. After passing at 4.90 meters/16-feet-0¾ following a miss, she had two attempts to tie her personal record of 4.95 meters/16-feet-2¾ – but didn't clear the bar on either.

With the silver, Moon becomes the second American woman to earn two pole vault Olympic medals, joining Jennifer Suhr (also gold and silver).

The Tokyo Olympics women's pole vault gold medalist, Moon entered her second Olympic games as the No. 4 women's pole vaulter in the world in 2024. Indoors and outdoors combined, Moon is the No. 5 women's pole vaulter in world history.

She was a two-time NCAA Div. II national champion and three-time All-American in the pole vault for the Eagles, and continues to boast school pole vault records both indoors (4.27 meters/14-feet-0) and outdoors (4.44 meters/14-feet-6¾). Moon is a two-time world champion and a world silver medalist.

Moon also is a member of the 2022 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Div. II Athlete Hall of Fame, and will go into the 2024 class of the Ashland University athletics Hall of Fame in October.

To conclude his first Summer Olympics for Team USA on Wednesday, Trevor Bassitt finished fourth in the first heat of the men's 400-meter hurdles semifinals in 48.29 seconds. Bassitt was eighth overall in the semifinals and sported the best time of a non-qualifier for the finals (top two in each semifinal heat, top two otherwise qualified for the finals).

A two-time world outdoor gold medalist to go with two world indoor silver medals and an outdoor worlds bronze, Bassitt was a 10-time NCAA Div. II national champion and 21-time All-American at AU. He also was a key cog in three Eagle men's team national titles (2019 indoor and outdoor, 2021 indoor).

His individual national titles came in the outdoor 4x400-meter relay (two), outdoor 400 hurdles (two), indoor 60 hurdles (two), indoor 200 meters (one), indoor 4x400 relay (two) and indoor 400 meters (one).

Ashland University's two Summer Olympics representatives are as many as the rest of the NCAA Div. II Midwest Region combined (Davenport and Northern Michigan one each).