Brynn King Inks Professional Contract with adidas
Photo Credit: Joey Conti
Over the past few years Brynn King has adopted the phrase “bet on yourself” as her mantra.
“It’s kind of my motto,” King said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I did not bet on myself.”
King’s belief in herself paid off again this summer as the record-breaking pole vaulter from Roberts Wesleyan University signed a four-year professional contract with adidas that runs through the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I think that I am ready,” said King, who will forfeit her final indoor season of college eligibility to turn pro. “It’s a great contract. I wanted to be with adidas.”
And adidas wanted King.
“When you are in college and you are offered a pro contract to go early, that is a big deal,” Roberts assistant track and field coach Rick Suhr said. “That’s the equivalent of being a first-round pick in the NFL.”
Jenn Suhr, Rick’s wife and an assistant track and field coach and the pole vault coordinator at Roberts, enjoyed a long relationship with adidas during her 17-year professional career that saw her qualify for the Olympics three times and win gold at the 2012 Games in London.
While King will no longer be competing for Roberts, she will remain with the Redhawks as a graduate assistant coach who will help in a variety of areas including recruiting.
It’s not over yet, I am just stepping into a different role. My time here as a student-athlete was great. I came here with goals that I thought were pretty high and we were able to exceed them.
“It has been amazing seeing how the team has grown and it will be great to see how the program continues to grow. This is a great opportunity for other people on the team to step up and lead and it’s also a good opportunity for me.”
King became the first college pole vaulter (male or female) to land an agreement with a major shoe company when she signed a Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deal with adidas in January.
King enjoyed two spectacular seasons competing for Roberts after transferring from Duke University to be coached by the Suhrs.
A native of The Woodlands, Texas, King broke the NCAA Division II indoor record in her first meet as a Redhawk and continued to rewrite history en route to becoming an Olympian and four-time NCAA DII champion.
King became the first student-athlete from Roberts to win an NCAA title on March 8, 2024, she captured the DII championship with a record-breaking effort of 4.65 meters (15-feet, 3-inches).
The only woman in Division II history to eclipse 15 feet, King set the outdoor record six days later and turned heads by clearing 4.68m (15-4¼) against a strong field of Division I competitors at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 29.
King set a meet record (4.60 meters, 15-1) while securing her second national title at the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Emporia, Kans.
King burst onto the international scene in June, besting her previous personal best by 5 centimeters to catapult from eighth place to third at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Her effort of 4.73m (15-6¼) met the Olympic standard and earned King a spot-on Team USA for the Paris Olympics.
After competing in the Olympics in August, King returned to Roberts in the fall. She battled several illnesses throughout the indoor season, but recovered in time to break her own DII record (4.66m, 15-3½) while capturing her second straight national title in Indianapolis.
King’s 2025 outdoor season started well as she put together another record-breaking effort at the Texas Relays, clearing 4.75m (15-7) to eclipse the all-time NCAA outdoor mark at any level.
An injury suffered two weeks later sidelined King until the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Pueblo, Colo., where she emerged victorious by clearing 4.52, (14-10) for her fourth national title.
King leaves quite a legacy at Roberts as a four-time national champion and four-time first-team All-American. She received the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national athlete of the week award nine times and was named the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s National Field Athlete of the Year after the 2024 indoor season.
The East Coast Conference also honored King as its 2024 Indoor Track and Field Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and was a unanimous selection as the 2025 ECC Outdoor Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year after winning the same award in 2024.
King also was named the NCAA Division II East Region Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2025. She broke the NCAA Division II indoor pole vault record nine times during her career and the outdoor record three times.
The current record holder in both, King has the top seven efforts both indoors and outdoors and leaves NCAA competition holding down nine of the top 10 spots indoors and eight of the top 10 outdoors.
About the author
Roberts Wesleyan University Athletics
As the only NCAA Division II institution in the region and member of the East Coast Conference, Roberts is committed to academic excellence, spiritual formation, and competitive athletics.