Behind a school record in the pole vault competition, Marquette performed well at the Blue and Gold Invitational last Friday in Notre Dame, Ind., its first meet of the season.

Junior Lauren Darnall stole the show by decimating the Marquette women’s pole vault record. Darnall broke the previous record (12 feet 1 ½ inches) by more than seven inches, and her personal best by 1 ½ feet, by jumping 12 feet 8 ¾ inches.

“It’s exciting, and it really means a lot to me, but I have higher expectations for myself,” Darnall said. “I really haven’t been concentrating on it.”

Coach Bert Rogers was impressed.

“I knew she was going to jump well, but maybe not quite that well,” Rogers said. “She cleared that mark pretty effortlessly and had a couple good attempts at 13 feet. I think I’m going to have to hold off changing the plaque in the hallway for a while because I’m sure she is going to break it again.”

The previous record was set by 2010 Marquette graduate Carrie Schmid.

“I called Carrie (Schmid) after the meet to tell her about the record and she was very excited for Lauren (Darnall),” Rogers said. “Lauren is only a junior, and I think she is immediately a contender to win the Big East.”

Darnall, who didn’t reach her ultimate goal of 13 feet, said she is really more interested in improving and concentrating on the next meet than she is in talking about the record. Her mark qualifies her for the Big East indoor track and field championships in February.

The Golden Eagles also had five other athletes qualify for the Big East, including sophomore sprinter Chanel Franklin in the 60-meter dash, freshman Carlye Schuh in the long jump, senior Alyssa Davis in the triple-jump, and sophomore high-jumpers Cheldon Brown and Michael Saindon.

“I think we ran very well as a team,” Franklin said. “We still have room to improve, but we are working.”

Along with qualifying for  the Big East, Davis also took home the meet title in the triple-jump.

“Alyssa (Davis) is a senior this year, and she is in the best physical condition of her career,” Rogers said. “I think she will be a contender at the Big East.”

The meet also saw strong performances from Marquette’s very talented group of freshmen.

“The freshmen performed very well,” Franklin said. “They definitely have a lot of energy and bring a lot to the table. We can be sure to expect a lot from them this year.”

Rogers thought the team performed well as a whole.

The freshman of the day was certainly Schuh, who broke the freshman record for long-jump, with a mark of 18 feet six inches, which is also good enough for fifth all time on Marquette’s school leader board. The previous record had stood since 1985.

“I was really proud of the way that Carlye (Schuh) performed. She is a really talented runner and still has a lot of room to improve,” Rogers said.

Marquette returns to action on Jan. 15 in Madison, Wis., at the Badger Track Classic. Unlike this past meet, it will feature Marquette’s throwers.