The Randolph sophomore couldn’t stop smiling.

Then again, he had reason to be ecstatic.

On an extremely hot afternoon, Inkley not only won the event, but he also did so in style, clearing 14 feet, a personal best by a whopping eight inches.

“He doesn’t smile easy,” Cardinals coach Sean Ode said. ” … Maybe it’s the first time we’ve seen him smile this year. He’s a very serious kid.”

Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Leighanne Swan competes in the hurdles portion of the Division 2 girls pentathlon. Swan finished the first day in second place with a score of 1,774. P-J photo by Tim Frank

Only in his second season pole vaulting, Inkley has literally cleared every obstacle, using a background in gymnastics to see a two-foot improvement from what he was clearing just last year.

“He’s hit 13-3 a couple times and we’ve gone straight to 13-7 — that’s the super standard to get to — but we didn’t think he needed that (Friday) to advance,” Ode said. “It’s just one of those numbers to get to to make you feel better mentally, and he nailed that and went up and got 14. He just had an amazing day.”

On his way to the qualifier earlier in the morning, Inkley said he was hopeful that he would reach 13-6. When he went six inches better than that he was surprised, because he had just moved up to a bigger pole.

“I got on that pole and it was just springing me over,” he said.

Asked his reaction after his 14-foot vault, Inkley smiled yet again.

Jamestown’s Madison Burgess runs in the 200-meter preliminary in the Section VI Track & Field State Qualifiers at West Seneca West High School on Friday. P-J photo by Tim Frank

“I really didn’t react much. … I know I can (do better).”

Noted Ode: “He’s working on a new pole and there’s a lot of adjustment that comes with that. If he can figure that out … that’s easily another six inches, if not more.”

Inkley’s performance highlighted Day 1 of the state qualifier, which will continue at 10 this morning. While the majority of the track events were semifinals yesterday, the bulk of the field events were completed and a number of area athletes performed well in the finals.

In Division 2, Clayton Crouse of Randolph was third in the boys pole vault (12-6), teammate Jaiden Huntington was third in the boys shot put (51-8.5); Cody Kent of Frewsburg was third in the 800 meters (10:02.9); and Mattie Evans Brown of Randolph was third in the girls triple jump (33-10).

Other top-five results in Division 2 were Elias Quintero of Chautauqua Lake, second, and Donavin Brown of Southwestern, third, in the boys 800 meters; Gracie Conlan of Frewsburg, third, and Lauren Cotter of Southwestern, fourth in the girls triple jump; Jack Bourgeois of Chautauqua Lake, fourth, and Matt Pannes of Southwestern and Nathan Bailey of Falconer/Cassadaga Valley, fifth in the boys pole vault; Ethan Verbosky of Maple Grove, fourth in the boys 800 meters; and Elizabeth Price of Franklinville/Ellicottville, fifth, in the girls discus.

With two events remaining, Carson Conley of Randolph leads the Division 2 boys pentathlon with 1,769 points. Joshua Nolder of Allegany-Limestone is second (1,749); Benjamin Edwards of Franklinville Ellicottville is fourth (1,414) and Nathan Mays of Silver Creek is fifth (1,413).

Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Leighanne Swan is second in the Division 2 girls pentathlon with 1,774 points with two events left. Megan Cassidy of East Aurora leads with 1,838 points.

Allegany-Limestone’s Angelina Napoleon, the national record holder in the girls 2,000-meter steeplechase, got off to an impressive start to her weekend, setting a track record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:08.82.