Gero-Holt, a junior at Emerald Ridge High in Washington, prevails competing unattached against collegiate field after verbally committing to Illinois, elevates to No. 5 all-time prep athlete with 3,865 points in indoor pentathlon debut

By David Woods for DyeStat

JaiCieonna Gero-Holt made herself at home at her future college home.

The 17-year old from Emerald Ridge High School, Puyallup, Wash., scored 3,865 points Friday to win the pentathlon in the Illini Challenge at Champaign, Ill.

Gero-Holt, in her pentathlon debut, climbed to No. 5 on the all-time prep indoor list.

Gero-Holt is a junior who has committed to Illinois. She plans to graduate early and represent the Fighting Illini in the 2025 season. She would be coached by Petros Kyprianou, a multi-events specialist who was a three-time national coach of the year at Georgia.

Gero-Holt’s marks:

60-meter hurdles, 9.20 seconds, 869 points (fourth).

High jump, 1.83m/6-0, 1,016 (first).

Shot put, 13.13m/43-1, 736 (first).

Long jump, 5.43m/17-9.75, 680 (second).

800 meters, 2:40.77, 564 (seventh).

She entered this weekend’s USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships in Indianapolis, but was not accepted. USATF’s cutoff in the pentathlon was 12 athletes, and she was seeded 13th.

Gero-Holt will try to qualify for June’s Olympic Trials heptathlon. (Qualifying standard was 6,000 points in 2021 but has not been released for 2024.)

Last year, she set a sophomore class record of 5,552 points in the heptathlon. Gero-Holt finished second at the USATF U20 Championships and won a Pan American U20 gold medal in Puerto Rico.

Other milestones to pursue are Anna Hall’s national high school record of 5,829 points and Kendell Williams’ American U20 record of 6,018.

Ahead of Gero-Holt on the prep pentathlon list are Hall, 4,209 in 2019; Williams, 4,068 in 2013; Sterling Lester, 3,976 in 2018; Shana Woods, 3,924 in 2006.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007