SLC'S MASON ABSHIRE ROCKS BACK TO A RUNNER-UP FINISH AT LSU CLASSIC!
Back in January, St. Louis High's Mason Abshire certainly had a good opener at the LSU High School Classic--Louisiana's first high school meet of the year. He finished second in the pole vault with a jump of 15-0.75.
If you are not going to win your opener of senior year, you might as well lose to one of the best in the country. That's what happened to Abshire as he lost to Mississippi's John Scott Kendricks, who had a winning vault of 16-5.
At the time, Hendricks effort was ranked No. 2 in the nation. When the smoke cleared at the end of the season, Hendricks finished the indoor season being ranked No. 10 nationally.
Abshire used the momentum from the LSU High School Classic to go on to win both the LHSAA State Indoor Meet (15-7) as well ast the LHSAA Class 3A State Outdoor Meet (14-5.25). It was the second year in a row that Abshire swept state championships as he finished his high school career with four state titles.
Impressively, Abshire had a perfect outdoor season in 2023--winning all nine of the competitions he entered. His best jump came at the Oil City Relays, where he cleared a the bar at a personal record 16-4.25.
It was the second straight year that Abshire won all of his competitions on Louisiana soil. The only meet he did not win during his junior year was the Great Southwest Classic, where he finished No. 12 with a vault of 13-11.75.
This picture was taken by former MileSplit LA Content Team photographer Cherie Trahan, who has some connections to the St. Louis Catholic team. For starters, she is a former SLC mom. Her son, Colby, who is now competing for McNeese State University, competed for St. Louis Catholic in high school.
Currently, Trahnan is back with the SLC program--coaching, but she also finds time to use her talent taking pictures for McNeese State University.