Gainesville High senior Hunter Mallard won the Georgia Indoor pole vault state championship with a new personal best of 16-feet, 1/4-inch Sunday in Atlanta.

He placed first by almost a foot against his nearest competitor Jack Rhea, of Calhoun.

With his 16-foot mark, it makes the Red Elephants’ senior only the eighth athlete to go over 16 feet in the Georgia High School Association. Mallard now stands ranked No. 1 in the state in the pole vault and 11th nationally, according to milesplit.com.

Previously in his high school career, Mallard claimed the Class AAAAA state championship as a sophomore, and has also competed nationally at the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympics.