Allie Wildsmith’s determination has carried her to a national championship in high jump.

Wildsmith, a Bainbridge High School graduate and a junior at the United States Coast Guard Academy, won the National Championship in high jump after jumping 1.77 meters at the Division III National Championships in Rochester, N.Y.

She went to state her freshman and senior years at BHS (with the sophomore and junior seasons interrupted by COVID).

During the 2025 regular indoor track season, Wildsmith earned the Coast Guard’s school record and set the all-time Division III record for high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 10.75 inches.

As a freshman at the Coast Guard Academy, her training became intensive.

“I started gaining better technique, getting a better approach, practicing five days a week [and] eventually went to outdoor nationals in the Spring of my freshman year,” she said.

Wildsmith noted there were nerves involved in preparing for Nationals, even after earning the No. 1 seed this season. She said her nerves mainly stemmed from some up-and-down performances in the past. She explained the high jump is a very technical event, so that even the smallest error or change in performance can make a big difference in the result.

She said the National meet was “the loudest meet you’ll ever go to,” making it hard to focus. The meet was very crowded and there were many things happening, even to the point of having your jump shoes checked by officials before the competition begins. She said the hardest part was in between the jumps, taking the time to calm herself and make sure the mental aspects of high jump were as accurate as they could be. She worked to be “mentally and physically prepared for the next bar.”

Wildsmith’s preparation earned her the status of the third woman in Coast Guard track and field history to win the National Championship. She joins Caitlin Mooney (2019 Indoor 5,000 meters) and Michelle Kwafo (2023 Outdoor 100 meters).

Kwafo was an inspiration to Wildsmith, as they competed together when Kwafo was a senior at the Academy and Wildsmith was a freshman. Michelle “really guided me through my freshman season and continuously was one of the first people I called after my family to talk about my performance,” Wildsmith said.

Wildsmith also had her best friend, Isabelle Prentice (a fellow 2022 BHS Grad), at the championships to support her and was thinking about her family as well as the continual support given by her head coach Ethan Brown and jumps coach John Jaskot.

As a member of the Coast Guard, she has many other obligations aside from high jump. She is studying to be an electrical engineer, and her day is filled from reveille in the early morning with military training and obligations, along with her class work and athletic training.

“I think the biggest difficulty for these athletes at the Coast Guard Academy is the fact that they are at a military academy as athletes,” said Quentin Wildsmith, Allie’s dad. “They don’t just get to focus on their sport; they have leadership development, military training and rigid class schedules.” But he said that his daughter has always been “extremely resilient and a self-starter —both academically and athletically,” adding he and his wife Marina didn’t push her in sports.

Allie made the decision to join the Coast Guard as a young teenager who wanted to give back to her country. Quentin said, “her ability to depend on herself and her teammates and push through hard times is really the story of her success.”

Allie has one more year of eligibility to compete in high jump, and there will be few opportunities to compete post-graduation as she will be a commissioned Coast Guard officer. Nonetheless, the service does offer “opportunities to leave your assignment temporarily and go compete.” Allie noted that Kwafo was able to participate in a couple meets post-graduation.

“I don’t really know what’s going to come afterwards, but right now it’s sort of looking like I’m going to have my next three seasons and then be done.” Wildsmith is determined to enter flight school after graduation and hopes to fly rescue helicopters for the Coast Guard.