Peyton Proffitt delivered a standout 2023 campaign for the Otterbein track and field program, bursting onto the scene as a true freshman en route to All-American honors in both indoor/outdoor season.

Proffitt, starring in the pole vault, won 14 different meets that year to fully assert herself in the thick of conference, regional and national conversations along the way. She became a 2x OAC champion in the event, breaking the outdoor school record at Mount Union in early April with a height of 13-3 ¾ (4.06 meters).

Ultimately becoming the Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year on the women’s side, Proffitt made a serious run at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala. She eventually settled for third place in what became a hotly-contested event, before turning sights to outdoor.

The Orient, Ohio native then got back to the NCAA’s in late May of 2023, taking fifth in the national field after lacing up in Rochester, N.Y.