TRACK: Kent-Meridian’s Kelsey Bueno aiming high this weekend

She has always has had a knack for aiming high.

Whether it is in the classroom or in the pole-vaulting pit at French Field, Kent-Meridian senior Kelsey Bueno has re-defined what it means to be a student-athlete.

In fact, when she graduates from the East Hill school this spring with a cumulative grade-point average that borders on 4.00, the term “student-athlete” at K-M might as well be changed to “The Bueno.”

Few prep athletes in the area – or the state, for that matter – have been quite as successful in and out of the classroom as K-M’s queen of the pole vault.

Not only will she graduate with an impeccable academic record, she will do so with a diploma and a degree — at the same time.

Not any ordinary student, Bueno (pronounced BWAY-no) enrolled in Running Start at Green River Community College two years ago. By the time she leaves Kent-Meridian next month, not only will she have her high school diploma in hand, but also a two-year business degree from Green River. In fact, Bueno will have her business degree shortly before her high school diploma.

“I probably could have graduated from high school the first quarter of this year,” Bueno said. “I saved one P.E. credit because I heard a rumor that if you complete high school, then (Running Start) is not paid for.”

Always thinking ahead, Bueno has shown she’s just as skilled in the Kent-Meridian pole vault pit, where she currently possesses the second-highest mark in the state at an even 12 feet. It’s a mark with which Bueno is happy, yet not completely satisfied with as she looks toward this weekend’s Class 4A state meet at Mount Tahoma High in Tacoma.

“The ultimate goal is 13 feet,” said Bueno, who will compete at Washington State University next year on a partial scholarship.

That 13-foot mark likely would bring home a state gold, something Bueno nearly won in 2009. Last May, Bueno finished second at meet, uncorking a personal-best of 11-9. That mark tied Richland’s Jessica Christianson for the best of the meet. However, Christianson accomplished it in one less attempt than Bueno, thereby breaking the tie.

Bueno’s drive to reach the top is something Kent-Meridian coach Ernie Ammons has watched first-hand the last several years. Ammons, who is widely known for getting anybody and everybody out for the track season, plucked Bueno from the wrestling room to compete for the Royals on the track.

“I noticed that she was really strong (while wrestling) and that she had a gymnastics background,” Ammons said. “She jumped on board right away in the pole vault. She liked it and got hooked.”

It didn’t take Ammons long to realize what he had in the pint-sized Bueno, who stands all of 5-foot-4.

“She has always been two steps ahead of where she’s going,” Ammons said about Bueno’s academic and athletic drive. “You don’t see that too often. She’s very focused.”

As focused as Bueno is — and though it sometimes seems she is light years ahead of many of her peers because of her eye-opening academic career — she also possesses a rather grounded personality.

That was never more evident than during April’s Pasco Invitational, which is widely regarded as the biggest track meet of the season outside of state. Bueno delivered a solid 11-6 mark at the meet, which was good enough for a third-place finish. Meanwhile, teammate Jenna Crain came into her own that day, ripping off a school-record 12-foot vault, which brought home a second-place finish and is currently tied with Bueno for the second best mark in the state.

Instead of being jealous or upset over being outdone by her teammate, Bueno was just the opposite.

“I was so excited for her when she got it,” Bueno said. “My mouth gaped open and I went up and gave her a hug.”

Ammons expected nothing less from his classy pole vaulter.

“It was fun to watch her do that,” Ammons said. “She’s just one of those kids — she’s a young adult.”

Crain, who is currently one of K-M’s top gymnasts, credited Bueno for the performance.

“I was shocked when I hit 12 feet. (Kelsey) was one of the main reasons I was able to do that,” Crain said. “We definitely help each other.”

Together, Bueno and Crain have developed into the top 1-2 pole vaulting punch in the state — a punch that now has its sights set on Tasha Clark of Mead High, who won the Pasco Invitational with a state-best mark of 12-3.

“That’s mine and Jenna’s goal. We want to one-up (Tasha) at state,” Bueno said.

To do so, they will have to be aiming plenty high.

For Bueno, of course, that will be nothing new.