Last season, Darnall’s best indoor jump was 10 feet, 11 3/4 inches and she failed to qualify for the Big East Championships. She improved over the offseason, however, and came back this season with performances that surprised even her coach. In the very first meet of the season she broke the school record, held by 2010 graduate Carrie Schmid, with a jump of 12 feet, 8 3/4 inches.

“I knew she was going to be jumping around 12 feet,” coach Bert Rogers said, “but the fact that she was jumping near 13 the very first meet in December was a bit of a surprise, and I expect her to keep going higher.”

Darnall attributes her success this season to her rigorous off-season workouts.

“I really focused on getting my endurance back, did more distance running,” Darnall said. “I also tried to do more than what was necessary for the conditioning workouts. I upped all the times I need in the sprint workouts, for example.

“This summer, I was just really motivated to come back stronger and have a good year.”

But there was a time when Darnall considered leaving the team. It was Schmid, Darnall’s friend and one of Marquette’s best female pole-vaulters, who convinced her to stay.

“She is the one who got me motivated originally,” Darnall said of Schmid. “My freshman year things weren’t going well, and I was considering quitting, and she kind of helped me stay positive and realize that there will be rough patches.”

While her coach says Darnall may not be at Schmid’s level yet, she is getting close.

“In terms of height, Lauren is jumping right now where Carrie Schmid was at her best,” Rogers said. “When Carrie was in the big meets, she was always jumping at her best. So I think Lauren has a ways to go in that regard, but in terms of just jumping the bars, Lauren is doing quite well.”

Jumping wasn’t the only void left when Schmid graduated last year. As a senior, Schmid brought leadership to the team, but teammates say Darnall has done a great job stepping into that role as well.

“Lauren does an excellent job of working with the younger vaulters and kind of showing them the ropes,” senior long-jumper Alyssa Davis said.

Though she has had a great season so far, Darnall still has goals to meet for this year. The big one is to jump 13 feet in a competition. To do that, Darnall said, she will have to switch to a larger pole so she can get more lift over the bar to reach those extra few inches.

“My main goal is to get on the bigger pole that will give me something back,” Darnall said. “It will give me better heights, and that way I can compete better in the Big East and maybe even get to nationals, which would be fantastic.”

Darnall says she is trying to get comfortable with the larger pole so she will have a chance of winning at the Big East Championships. She says she is approaching the championships differently than any other meet.

“I am trying to win, instead of just trying to get my form and jumps down,” Darnall said.

Darnall and the team return to competition this Friday and Saturday at the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame.