With Harland now in college, Tomas is setting his sights on Har- land’s leap of 16 feet 9 and three-quarters inches in 2024. And be- yond. The state record for Class 3 is 17-3. “I’m just going to practice and practice, and keep practicing until I know I can do it,” says Tomas. “This year is going to be all about challenging myself. It’s me versus myself.” “Tomas knows what this year is all about,” says Holtmeyer. “He’s got to be ready every meet because he’s going to have the pressure of every other kid in the pole vault saying, ‘I’ve got a chance to beat Tomas Gonzalez.’ He’s got the target on his back.”
“I’m just going to practice and practice... This year is going to be all about challenging my- self. It’s me versus myself.”
the middle of the Falcons’ plans.
“He’s a senior, so we look at him in the open 100, the long jump, 4x100 relay, whatever he can qualify for, we want him to go for it,” says Holtmeyer. “I think we’ve got a real good shot at state. Our sprinters are better
“That’s when I decided it was time to stop playing baseball and concentrate on pole vault,” says Tomas. That freshman season of 2023 introduced Tomas to the vaulter who would become his friendly nemesis, Cale Harland of Macon High School. Harland, a year ahead of Gonzalez, was a four-time state champion. He’s now vaulting at the University of South Dakota, where he has set a personal best of 17 feet 5 inches. In 2023, at the state meet, Harland cleared 15 feet and three-quarters of an championship. In 2024, Tomas set a school record at the state meet, clearing 15 feet 11 and three-quarters of an inch, but Harland soared 15 feet 10 inches to 15 feet 4 and a half inches.
42 /// May 2026
than they’ve ever been. I see a lot of success for this team,” says Tomas. As for the future, Tomas is looking forward to competing for the Missouri Tigers. Gonzalez signed with the Tigers this past fall. “I was thinking about going to Texas A&M, because they have a strong program, and that’s where my father graduated from, and there’s a lot of family down there. But I met Coach (Ethan) Bray at and I just clicked.” Bray is the Tigers’ pole vaulting coach. He is an accomplished vaulter, setting records at the University of South Dakota and quali- fying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021. “I see a lot of success with Coach Bray,” says Tomas. And Coach Holtmeyer sees a lot of success in Tomas’ future. “He’s everything you have to be. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s coach- able, he doesn’t get too high or too low.” “And he’s fearless.”
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