Growing up in Nebraska is one of the things that Allexis Menghini, senior pole vaulter, takes pride in. She says attending high school in North Platte, Nebraska, was a blessing.

“It kind of has a big small-town feel. Our class was Class A, so the biggest class in Nebraska,” Menghini said. “It was on the small end of that, so it had a small town feel to it.”

Menghini learned the values of hard work and having fun from her family. Her mother is a school teacher and her dad works on the railroad in construction. She has three sister that keep her on her toes.  

“We all like to joke around and pull pranks on each other, but nothing too mean,” Menghini said. 

With support from her family, Menghini has been able to make pole vaulting a major part of her life. Before attending Washburn, she was a NCAA Division I athlete at the University of Nebraska.

“Originally, I went to the University of Nebraska and pole vaulted there and then I came here so that was a pretty big achievement,” Menghini said. “Pole vaulting is kind of where all of my achievements are.”

In the future, Menghini wants to be able to take the talents she has gained in college and use them in the real world.

She is a Spanish and psychology major, and someday she would like to go to a Spanish speaking country and use what she has learned.

After college Menghini is not sure what she wants to do, but she does have an idea of what her future may look like. 

“Even though I should know, I still don’t know what I want to do yet. I either want to go into coaching or pursue something in psychology,” Menghini said. “I kind of want to hang around the track more, it is just where I am comfortable at.”

Off the track, Menghini enjoys reading and video games.

“I am kind of a nerd,” Menghini said. 

She recently read “Game of Thrones” and enjoys playing games like “Donkey Kong” and “Super Smash Brothers” on her Nintendo 64.

Despite her other interests, track remains the focus of Menghini’s life. Head coach Cameron Babb is proud of how she has worked her way back from injuries to perform at the level she is at now.

“Allexis is so resilient. She has battled through so many injuries and surgeries in her career but has come back strong and now one of the top girls in Division II,” Babb said. “She understands the sport better than most college athletes and uses her experience to her advantage.”