“I got this.”

This simple mantra, uttered by Amanda Moll, is accompanied by a deep breath to ground herself. It sounds laughably modest, considering that Amanda’s pre-competition ritual has allowed her to do what most of us would find impossible: fly with the grace of a gazelle and the height to clear a full-grown giraffe.

Amanda and her twin sister Hana are both record-breaking pole vault champions, coming off their best season ever, which culminated in September when they competed on Team USA for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Unbelievably, the University of Washington juniors tied for sixth place.

Like many identical twins, Amanda and Hana have a way about them that’s both charming and disorienting. But with these two, their similarities go far beyond just finishing each other’s sentences—though they do that as well. Since they started pole vaulting in middle school, the Olympia-born sisters have been neck-and-neck for nearly every competition.

Flying High. Amanda at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she took third place in pole vault.

Photo COURTESY OF UW ATHLETICS

The reason for their paralleled excellence, according to NW Pole Vault and UW Track & Field coach Tim Reilly, is “a confluence of many things.” When Reilly met Amanda and Hana, during their seventh-grade year, they were already trained gymnasts, competitive rock climbers, and bike racers. Their parents, Eric and Paula Moll, are former college rowers—Eric at the UW and Paula at the University of Texas—and raised the girls to love the calm of the outdoors, the thrill of sport, the challenge of competition. The combination of nature and nurture has allowed them “uncommon speed to generate velocity; uncommon strength in their hands, shoulders, and core to manage the gymnastic stunt [of pole vaulting]; and the X-factor, which is an enjoyment of the adrenaline charge it is to fly, despite the likelihood of a few dings and falls,” Reilly says.

“We’ve been developing this relationship since we were babies. We’ve also reframed our definition of success when we’re
working together. We both do well, when one of us comes out on top.” —HANA MOLL

From the moment they first chalked up their hands to try pole vaulting, they were hooked. By the time they hit Capital High School, the Moll sisters were prodigies. But their competitive nature, especially with one another, has never eclipsed their exceptional familial bond. “Our relationship is unique in that our competitiveness doesn’t outweigh the love and support we have for one another,” Amanda notes. “We’ve been developing this relationship since we were babies.” Hana adds, “We’ve also reframed our definition of success when we’re working together. We both do well when one of us comes out on top.”

This has been true the past year, their second on the UW Track & Field team, when both sisters were responsible for toppling collegiate records. In March, Amanda set the NCAA indoor pole-vaulting record—including clearing 16 feet, which only four Americans (all Olympic medalists) have accomplished previously. When the weather warmed and pole vaulting moved outdoors, Hana set her own collegiate record at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, clearing 15 feet, 8.5 inches. After a year mostly coming in just behind her sister, Hana took the spotlight.

Hana at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she won the pole vault title with her final jump.

Photo COURTESY OF UW ATHLETICS

Besides being teammates and competitors, they’re one another’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders. Amanda and Hana both say watching their sister is more nerve-wracking than actually jumping—particularly on the dreaded third [and final] attempt at clearing a height. “Obviously, on the day of a competition, we each want to be the winner,” Hana says, “but I think just being together is more important than anything.”

To accomplish their spectacular feats, the twins train somewhere around 15 hours per week. Their success could have already led to careers as professional athletes, but both Molls say they love being a part of the UW Track & Field team, and their studies at the Foster School of Business are setting them up for life after competitions. “We’re one big family,” Hana says. “Track and field isn’t as lucrative an industry as, say, football or basketball, and the resources and community we’re provided at the UW are invaluable.”

When we spoke after they returned from Tokyo, the twins were looking forward to taking a much-earned six-week break from training, “to recharge mentally, physically, and emotionally after such a long year,” Amanda says. The break lined up with the start of UW’s fall quarter. But their ambitions didn’t include partying or loafing on the couch eating Cheetos. They planned to stay active with mountain biking and hiking, and their first love, rock climbing, while focusing on classes and spending time with their friends. “I don’t ever really feel like I’m missing out,” Amanda says. “I actually feel like I’m getting more out of college through the experiences I have.”

Amanda and Hana mountain biking on a childhood trip with their parents in the Dolomites.

Photo COURTESY OF THE MOLL FAMILY

The two turn 21 in January, right around the time the collegiate indoor pole vault competitions start. What’s next? Amanda and Hana both have Olympic aspirations for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which will give them a year to train—together—after graduation.

“The twin factor is their superpower,” Reilly explains. “With their soulmate, the rough days are lightened, and the triumphs are magnified. If they continue to enjoy this, if we continue to train them smartly with wellness and happiness always most important, they will dominate the world stage—and they’ll discover what’s possible when lofty dreams, hard work, and joyful sisterhood join forces. This is the North Star, really, whether they win Olympic gold or not.”