2020-21 Track & Field Roster
Leon, Gabriela
Gabriela Leon
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- High School:
- East Kentwood
- Hometown:
- Grand Rapids, Mich.
Bio
Gabriela Leon TFRRS Profile
CAREER HONORS
• Institutional and ACC Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
• Named to USA Track and Field Roster for 2022 World Athletics Championship - finished 12th
• 2022 NCAA Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault Champion
• 2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor Southeast Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year
• 2022 ACC Female Outdoor Field Performer of the Year
• 2022 ACC Track & Field Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
• 2022 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship
• 2021 USTFCCCA/NCAA Indoor First Team All-American (Pole Vault)
• 2020 USTFCCCA/NCAA Indoor All-American* (Pole Vault) *no team designation due to COVID-19 shortened season
• 2019 USTFCCCA/NCAA Outdoor All-America Honorable Mention (Pole Vault)
• ACC Outdoor Pole Vault Champion (2021, 2022)
• ACC Outdoor Silver Medalist (Pole Vault) (2019)
• ACC Outdoor First Team (Pole Vault) (2019, 2021, 2022)
• ACC Outdoor Second Team (Pole Vault) (2018)
• ACC Indoor Silver Medalist (Pole Vault) (2019, 2020, 2022)
• ACC Indoor First Team (Pole Vault) (2019, 2020, 2022)
• ACC Indoor Second Team (Pole Vault) (2018)
• 2019 ACC Indoor Second Team (Long Jump)
• 2018 ACC Indoor Silver Medalist (Long Jump)
• 2018 ACC Indoor First Team (Long Jump)
• All-ACC Academic (2021-22)
• USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2021, 2022)
• Arthur Ashe Sport Scholar (Track & Field); Top 20 Finalist for Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award
• NCAA Woman of the Year Institutional Nominee
• All-ACC Academic Indoor Track & Field (2020, 2021, 2022)
2022: (Outdoor Pole Vault)
• Finished fourth at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships and qualified for the 2022 World Athletics Championship… Named to USA Track and Field Roster for the event and finished 12th after reaching the finals.
• Won the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault Championship, becoming UofL’s first women’s outdoor champion and first-ever pole vault champion. Earned All-America first team honors.
• Advanced to her third NCAA Outdoor Championships with a first-place height of 4.31m (14-1.75) at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round.
• The only female pole vaulter this year to clear 15 feet outdoors on multiple occasions and is one of 10 collegiate competitors and 23 American women in history to achieve a 15-1.50 (4.61m) clearance.
• Earned her second straight ACC women’s pole vault title with a height of 4.50m (14-9) at the ACC Championships. She is now a five-time All-ACC Outdoor honoree.
• Set the women’s outdoor pole vault school record for the third time this season with a first-place mark of 4.61m (15-1.5). The mark ranked as first in the ACC and second nationally. It stands as the second-best all-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault mark and eighth-best all-time outdoor performer mark in collegiate history.
• Earned ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Week honors three times and secured six first-place finishes in seven meets in the outdoor season.
• Led the No. 1-ranked women’s pole vault group for three weeks by the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings.
• 2022 ACC Post Graduate Scholarship Recipient
2022 (Indoor Pole Vault)
• Cleared a height of 4.41m (14-5.5) for a sixth-place finish and first-team honors in the women's pole vault at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. The mark was the third highest bar in her indoor career.
• Set the women's indoor pole-vault school record for twice this this season, the latest a runner-up height of 4.46m (14-7.5) at the ACC Indoor Championships. She previously set the program best mark with a height of 4.42m (14-6) in the same facility at the Hokie Invitational. The 4.46m (14-7.5) qualifying mark ranked fifth in the nation and third in the ACC.
• Recorded a top-five pole vault finish at all five ACC Indoor Championships and is now a seven-time All-ACC honoree.
• Posted 12 pole vault wins over the course of her indoor career and recorded a top-three finish in six of seven meets in the indoor season.
• Led the women’s pole vault group that ranked in the top-three in all five of USTFCCCA’s Event Squad Rankings, with a top placing of second on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7
2020-21
Indoor:
• All-ACC second team performer in the pole vault after finishing fourth at the ACC Indoor Championships with a vault of 4.22m (13-10)
• Competed in five meets in the pole vault and long jump during the regular season, tallying two wins and an additional two top-three finishes
• Won the pole vault at the Lenny Lyles Invitational, clearing 4.23 season-best 4.23m I13-10.5)
• Captured the pole vault title at the Notre Dame Invitational (4.08m/13-4.5)
• Named to the All-ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Outdoor:
• Won the ACC Outdoor Pole Vault title after a vault of 4.13m (13-6.5)
• Set a school pole vault record after clearing 4.27m (14-0) to win the Louisville Invitational on April 2…
• Broke that record with a mark of 4.28m (14-05) to win the Clark Wood Invitational on April 23
• Won the pole vault at the Tennessee Relays with a vault of 4.16m (13-7.75)
• Named ACC Indoor Field Performer of the Week (April 7)… Qualified for NCAA East Region Preliminary Round in the pole vault
• All-ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic Team selection
• ACC Academic Honor Roll member
• Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.
2020:
• Competed in nine events during the indoor season
• Broke the school record in the pole vault at the ACC Indoor Championships, clearing 4.40m/14’05 for a second place finish and first team All-ACC honors
• Won the pole vault in three meets and finished in the top three in all six meets
• Won the long jump at the Gene Edmonds Open with a season-best mark of 6.04m/19’9.8
• Qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault, but competition was suspended due to Covid-19
• Headed into the NCAA Indoor Championship, her season best mark ranked 11th in the nation, earning All-American honors
• Member of the 2020 All-ACC Academic Indoor Track and Field team.
2018-19:
• Earned honorable mention honors at the Outdoor NCAA Championship with a 19th place finish
• Broke both the indoor and outdoor pole vault school records with 4.31m and 4.27m vaults, respectively …
• Earned Indoor First Team All-ACC honors with a second place, 4.28m clearance in the pole vault and Second Team All-ACC honors with a sixth-place leap of 6.10m in the long jump
• Tallied nine points at the ACC Outdoor Championship with a pole vault runner-up performance for First Team All-ACC accompanied by eighth in the long jump
• Recorded five wins during the 2019 season.
2017-18: Competed in six outdoor events and seven indoor events in long jump and pole vault
• Named to All-ACC Academic Team
• Earned Second Team Outdoor All-American honors in pole vault
• Tied for 16th at NCAA Championships in pole vault
• Set school record in pole vault with throw of 4.18m/13-8.50 at NCAA East Preliminary Round
• Tied for fifth in pole vault at ACC Outdoor Championships, earning Second Team All-ACC honors
• Placed second in long jump and fifth in pole vault at ACC Indoor Championships
• Earned win in long jump at Black and Gold Invitational, also took first in pole vault at Notre Dame Invitational and Illini Classic.
Prep:
• Lettered three years in track & field and two years in cross country at East Kentwood HS
• Also competed in soccer and volleyball
• Placed sixth and received All-American honors at Indoor Nationals
• Named All-State in track and field four times
• Holds school record in 4x100m relay, pole vault and long jump
• Named to All-Conference team in pole vault, long jump and 4x400m
• Helped team place second twice at Michigan state championships
• Held personal records of 13 feet in pole vault and 19’7” in long jump
Personal: Born June 17, 1999 in Grand Rapids, Mich. ... daughter of Regulo and Christine León … has four siblings, Andres, Kirsten, Isabelle (played soccer at Olivet College) and Angelo (ran track at Aquinas College) … majoring in exercise science
CAREER HONORS
• Institutional and ACC Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
• Named to USA Track and Field Roster for 2022 World Athletics Championship - finished 12th
• 2022 NCAA Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault Champion
• 2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor Southeast Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year
• 2022 ACC Female Outdoor Field Performer of the Year
• 2022 ACC Track & Field Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
• 2022 ACC Postgraduate Scholarship
• 2021 USTFCCCA/NCAA Indoor First Team All-American (Pole Vault)
• 2020 USTFCCCA/NCAA Indoor All-American* (Pole Vault) *no team designation due to COVID-19 shortened season
• 2019 USTFCCCA/NCAA Outdoor All-America Honorable Mention (Pole Vault)
• ACC Outdoor Pole Vault Champion (2021, 2022)
• ACC Outdoor Silver Medalist (Pole Vault) (2019)
• ACC Outdoor First Team (Pole Vault) (2019, 2021, 2022)
• ACC Outdoor Second Team (Pole Vault) (2018)
• ACC Indoor Silver Medalist (Pole Vault) (2019, 2020, 2022)
• ACC Indoor First Team (Pole Vault) (2019, 2020, 2022)
• ACC Indoor Second Team (Pole Vault) (2018)
• 2019 ACC Indoor Second Team (Long Jump)
• 2018 ACC Indoor Silver Medalist (Long Jump)
• 2018 ACC Indoor First Team (Long Jump)
• All-ACC Academic (2021-22)
• USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2021, 2022)
• Arthur Ashe Sport Scholar (Track & Field); Top 20 Finalist for Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award
• NCAA Woman of the Year Institutional Nominee
• All-ACC Academic Indoor Track & Field (2020, 2021, 2022)
2022: (Outdoor Pole Vault)
• Finished fourth at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships and qualified for the 2022 World Athletics Championship… Named to USA Track and Field Roster for the event and finished 12th after reaching the finals.
• Won the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault Championship, becoming UofL’s first women’s outdoor champion and first-ever pole vault champion. Earned All-America first team honors.
• Advanced to her third NCAA Outdoor Championships with a first-place height of 4.31m (14-1.75) at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Round.
• The only female pole vaulter this year to clear 15 feet outdoors on multiple occasions and is one of 10 collegiate competitors and 23 American women in history to achieve a 15-1.50 (4.61m) clearance.
• Earned her second straight ACC women’s pole vault title with a height of 4.50m (14-9) at the ACC Championships. She is now a five-time All-ACC Outdoor honoree.
• Set the women’s outdoor pole vault school record for the third time this season with a first-place mark of 4.61m (15-1.5). The mark ranked as first in the ACC and second nationally. It stands as the second-best all-time ACC women's outdoor pole vault mark and eighth-best all-time outdoor performer mark in collegiate history.
• Earned ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Week honors three times and secured six first-place finishes in seven meets in the outdoor season.
• Led the No. 1-ranked women’s pole vault group for three weeks by the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings.
• 2022 ACC Post Graduate Scholarship Recipient
2022 (Indoor Pole Vault)
• Cleared a height of 4.41m (14-5.5) for a sixth-place finish and first-team honors in the women's pole vault at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships. The mark was the third highest bar in her indoor career.
• Set the women's indoor pole-vault school record for twice this this season, the latest a runner-up height of 4.46m (14-7.5) at the ACC Indoor Championships. She previously set the program best mark with a height of 4.42m (14-6) in the same facility at the Hokie Invitational. The 4.46m (14-7.5) qualifying mark ranked fifth in the nation and third in the ACC.
• Recorded a top-five pole vault finish at all five ACC Indoor Championships and is now a seven-time All-ACC honoree.
• Posted 12 pole vault wins over the course of her indoor career and recorded a top-three finish in six of seven meets in the indoor season.
• Led the women’s pole vault group that ranked in the top-three in all five of USTFCCCA’s Event Squad Rankings, with a top placing of second on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7
2020-21
Indoor:
• All-ACC second team performer in the pole vault after finishing fourth at the ACC Indoor Championships with a vault of 4.22m (13-10)
• Competed in five meets in the pole vault and long jump during the regular season, tallying two wins and an additional two top-three finishes
• Won the pole vault at the Lenny Lyles Invitational, clearing 4.23 season-best 4.23m I13-10.5)
• Captured the pole vault title at the Notre Dame Invitational (4.08m/13-4.5)
• Named to the All-ACC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Team
Outdoor:
• Won the ACC Outdoor Pole Vault title after a vault of 4.13m (13-6.5)
• Set a school pole vault record after clearing 4.27m (14-0) to win the Louisville Invitational on April 2…
• Broke that record with a mark of 4.28m (14-05) to win the Clark Wood Invitational on April 23
• Won the pole vault at the Tennessee Relays with a vault of 4.16m (13-7.75)
• Named ACC Indoor Field Performer of the Week (April 7)… Qualified for NCAA East Region Preliminary Round in the pole vault
• All-ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Academic Team selection
• ACC Academic Honor Roll member
• Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.
2020:
• Competed in nine events during the indoor season
• Broke the school record in the pole vault at the ACC Indoor Championships, clearing 4.40m/14’05 for a second place finish and first team All-ACC honors
• Won the pole vault in three meets and finished in the top three in all six meets
• Won the long jump at the Gene Edmonds Open with a season-best mark of 6.04m/19’9.8
• Qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault, but competition was suspended due to Covid-19
• Headed into the NCAA Indoor Championship, her season best mark ranked 11th in the nation, earning All-American honors
• Member of the 2020 All-ACC Academic Indoor Track and Field team.
2018-19:
• Earned honorable mention honors at the Outdoor NCAA Championship with a 19th place finish
• Broke both the indoor and outdoor pole vault school records with 4.31m and 4.27m vaults, respectively …
• Earned Indoor First Team All-ACC honors with a second place, 4.28m clearance in the pole vault and Second Team All-ACC honors with a sixth-place leap of 6.10m in the long jump
• Tallied nine points at the ACC Outdoor Championship with a pole vault runner-up performance for First Team All-ACC accompanied by eighth in the long jump
• Recorded five wins during the 2019 season.
2017-18: Competed in six outdoor events and seven indoor events in long jump and pole vault
• Named to All-ACC Academic Team
• Earned Second Team Outdoor All-American honors in pole vault
• Tied for 16th at NCAA Championships in pole vault
• Set school record in pole vault with throw of 4.18m/13-8.50 at NCAA East Preliminary Round
• Tied for fifth in pole vault at ACC Outdoor Championships, earning Second Team All-ACC honors
• Placed second in long jump and fifth in pole vault at ACC Indoor Championships
• Earned win in long jump at Black and Gold Invitational, also took first in pole vault at Notre Dame Invitational and Illini Classic.
Prep:
• Lettered three years in track & field and two years in cross country at East Kentwood HS
• Also competed in soccer and volleyball
• Placed sixth and received All-American honors at Indoor Nationals
• Named All-State in track and field four times
• Holds school record in 4x100m relay, pole vault and long jump
• Named to All-Conference team in pole vault, long jump and 4x400m
• Helped team place second twice at Michigan state championships
• Held personal records of 13 feet in pole vault and 19’7” in long jump
Personal: Born June 17, 1999 in Grand Rapids, Mich. ... daughter of Regulo and Christine León … has four siblings, Andres, Kirsten, Isabelle (played soccer at Olivet College) and Angelo (ran track at Aquinas College) … majoring in exercise science
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