GAYLORD ― On one end of Gaylord Community Field on Tuesday, May 26, sophomore Calvin Cosby was locked in on his upcoming rep in the pole vault, looking to set yet another meet record in his final attempts before the state finals.
Around 20 yards north, senior Lillian Mason was wrapping the final sprint of her career on the Gaylord track, laughing with her relay teammates after anchoring a third-place finish at the Gaylord Meet of Champions.
Mason and Cosby have become linked this season, not just as two of Gaylord’s top track and field athletes but also sharing success in the pole vault in 2026. Both have set new school records in the event, sweeping the podium as a duo three separate times and qualified for the state finals on Saturday, May 30.
They’ve taken different routes throughout their careers to end up in Saturday’s state finals meet and have differing expectations for what they hope to achieve, but both have high hopes for the final meet of the season, for themselves and their pole-vaulting counterpart.
“I know Calvin’s battling for state champion, I’m nowhere near that, but I’m hopefully up on the podium,” said Mason. “It should be fun to show out for Gaylord at states.”
“It’s going to be really cool, I hope (Lillian) does really well, and I’m hoping to do really well too,” said Cosby.
Mason takes leap as a senior leader, now a multiple-event state qualifier
Lillian Mason was one of the 16 state qualifiers from the Gaylord track and field team in 2025, making her debut at the Division 2 finals meet in pole vault. It was somewhat of a disappointing finish for her individually, not recording a height in the finals, but it gave the junior a taste of what state finals competition looks like.
Now, a qualifier in four different events as a senior, Mason is trying to keep things simple and enjoy her final opportunity to compete as a Blue Devil.
“I just want to be happy when I leave,” said Mason. “This is my last season, I just want to be happy and have fun.”
Mason has been a standout in the pole vault since her sophomore season, finishing in the top two at eight of the 12 meets she vaulted at back in 2024. She made her first appearance at the state finals after clearing 9 feet, 9 inches at regionals in 2025 and set a new personal best at last year’s Northern Michigan Meet of Champions at 10 feet.
This season, Mason has cemented herself as one of the top pole vaulters in school history, setting a new GHS record at 11 feet, 3 inches at this year’s regional meet in Cadillac. She never finished lower than third in the eight meets she recorded a height in and finished atop the podium four different times.
All that time, Mason was steadily progressing as a runner, but wasn’t considered one of Gaylord’s top sprinters even as recently as her junior season.
Things have changed in 2026.
The GHS senior will be representing her school at the D2 state finals for four total events, including three different sprints and the pole vault. She’s been a consistent top-five finisher in both the 100-meter and 200-meter runs this season and anchors the state-qualifying 4×100-meter relay team with Breona Clemet, Ivy Roberts and Olivia Reiter, perhaps the event she’s most proud of as a state qualifier.
Meanwhile, her overall improvement in her final season is something she’s still processing.
“When I crossed the line in the 200m (at regionals), I didn’t think it was real,” said Mason.
Cosby hoping to bring another state title home for GHS field athletes
Calvin Cosby likely would’ve joined Mason and the 15 other Gaylord athletes at states as a freshman last season, but an injury cost him an opportunity to compete at regionals. This season, a healthy Cosby is hoping to push himself as far as he can go at the D2 state finals.
“I know I got a lot more in me. I just have to get the right jump, put it all together,” said Cosby.
It’s hard to imagine him pushing things any higher ― just a sophomore, Cosby has demolished the school pole vault record (15 feet, 6 inches), won the event at 11 of the 12 meets he competed at and currently has the third-highest vault in Division 2 this season.
If Cosby matches his personal best, he should sit comfortably on the final podium. If he can push it further, he may be in state title contention.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pole vaulting duo hoping to represent Gaylord well at D2 state finals
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
