Shep Sims, ’20, from Charleston, W.Va., has started off his freshman season with a bang. After setting the record for pole vault at his high school his senior year, Sims has managed to achieve similar success at the collegiate level. At the 2017 Art and Linda Maillet UNC Open last Saturday, Sims took first place in the pole vault with a vault of 14 feet 5 inches. The Phi sat down with Sims to discuss his early success on W&L’s track and field team and what he does when he is not competing.