Pole Vault

Huntington Beach High senior Allison Koressel finished first in the girls? pole vault Saturday at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational track and field meet. Koressel?s mark of 13 feet, 1 inch tied her personal-best and is also the top mark in California this season. It?s the same mark she earned to win the Surf City Invitational in late March. Fountain Valley junior Kyle Middlebrooks also fared well in Arcadia, taking third in the 100 meters in 10.89 seconds. Barons junior Jeff Tran placed fifth in the pole vault with a mark of 15-1.

The watch means plenty to Allison Koressel — despite the color scheme. She wears it while she trains, and it can motivate the Huntington Beach High senior to do even better. It’s a Nike athletic watch, and she won it by taking first in the girls’ pole vault at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on April 11. But there’s only one problem for Koressel, who has committed to continue her track and field career at UCLA. The watch is red and gold, which looks a lot like USC colors.

Michael Loschiavo achieved one of his main goals Saturday. This week, he's turned his full attention to goal No. 2. The Huntington Beach High senior came up with a fourth-place finish in the boys' Division 2 pole vault at the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Loschiavo advances to compete Friday at the CIF Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Joining him at the Masters meet is his sister Amy, a sophomore at Huntington Beach.

Fountain Valley High senior Kyle Middlebrooks doesn’t really see slow as an option. Even coming off a hamstring injury, Middlebrooks showed that he’s still plenty fast enough Saturday at the Orange County Track and Field Championships. The Arizona State-bound senior, who finished second in the 100 meters at the CIF State Meet last spring, also finished second Saturday. He crossed the line in 10.93 seconds, edged out by Orange Lutheran senior Damani Wilson (10.89)

Ramon Vargas appeared to be on his way to a third-place finish in the boys' 300-hurdles heat he ran Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division II track and field preliminaries meet at Moorpark High. In third place with just four hurdles to go, it was then that the Huntington Beach High sophomore kicked it into gear and finished with a personal-best time of 36.54, good for a final finish of second place. Add that finish to his winning his heat in the boys' 110-hurdles (15.97)

Mike Sciacca Tony Guadagnini has not only made it a habit to set goals for himself during his high school career, but the Marina High senior track and field athlete also has made it a habit of reaching them. The 18-year-old achieved a personal milestone Saturday when he ran 1:53.32 to win the Division I boys' 800 meters race at the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. He had entered the finals seeded first after winning the preliminary race by two seconds.

Vikings' Lewis taken by Oakland Marina High third baseman Chad Lewis was selected by the Oakland A's in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft Tuesday. He was the 125th overall pick. During his senior year, Lewis hit .395 and had four home runs and 24 runs batted in. Kennedy 11th in pole vault at State meet Marina senior Jeremy Kennedy finished tied for 11th in the boys' pole vault Saturday at the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis.

Allison Koressel didn’t sleepwalk through her performance, but a nap was probably looking really good after she won the girls’ pole vault at the CIF Southern Section Division II track and field finals Saturday at Cerritos College. Her winning mark of 12 feet 6 inches was solid — especially for someone who said she was operating on around five hours of sleep. It wasn’t nerves before the big meet for the Huntington Beach High senior, the co-state leader in the girls’ pole vault.

Ryan Simioni set the bar Friday. Literally. In his first effort at the CIF Southern Section Masters meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk, the Edison High senior cleared his first attempt in the boys’ pole vault at 15 feet, 4 inches. Simioni will tell you that it was a modest mark, but what he didn’t figure on was that the mark would carry him to the Masters meet pole vault title — a first for the 18-year-old. Friday, Simioni and Edison teammates, juniors Hillary Hayes and Meghan Foley, along with Marina senior pole vaulter Leon Roach, venture back to Cerritos College for the CIF State Track and Field Championships.

Mike Sciacca The city of Huntington Beach will be well represented this weekend at the CIF state track and field championships in Sacramento. Five local prep athletes finished among the top five at last week's CIF Southern section masters meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk to automatically qualify. The state meet begins Friday at Hughes Stadium. Qualifying from Marina High was Tony Guadagnini, Lyndly Tamura from Huntington Beach and Joe Gatel, Tori Pena and Kelly Maclean from Edison.

A trio of local athletes have earned their way to the CIF State Track and Field Championships. Laura Hollander and Kylie Nishisaka of Marina, and Karen Snapper of Edison, will all be at Buchanan High in Clovis on Friday for the preliminary round of the State meet. The finals are Saturday. Hollander qualified in the girls' 3,200 meters run, finishing in 10 minutes, 17.2 seconds, and placed second behind sophomore Sara Baxter of Simi Valley, who won the evesnt in 10:08.71. Both easily cruised past the State qualifying time of 10:42.57.

Vikings' Lewis taken by Oakland Marina High third baseman Chad Lewis was selected by the Oakland A's in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft Tuesday. He was the 125th overall pick. During his senior year, Lewis hit .395 and had four home runs and 24 runs batted in. Kennedy 11th in pole vault at State meet Marina senior Jeremy Kennedy finished tied for 11th in the boys' pole vault Saturday at the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis.

Two local senior track and field athletes have vaulted their way to the 92nd annual CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis. Both athletes, Michael Loschiavo of Huntington Beach, and Jeremy Kennedy of Marina, will be after the same individual title when they compete at Friday's preliminaries in the boys' pole vault. Both secured a spot at the State meet following strong performances Friday at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. The top five finishers in each event from Masters advance to the State prelims at Buchanan High.

Michael Loschiavo achieved one of his main goals Saturday. This week, he's turned his full attention to goal No. 2. The Huntington Beach High senior came up with a fourth-place finish in the boys' Division 2 pole vault at the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Loschiavo advances to compete Friday at the CIF Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Joining him at the Masters meet is his sister Amy, a sophomore at Huntington Beach.

Ramon Vargas appeared to be on his way to a third-place finish in the boys' 300-hurdles heat he ran Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Division II track and field preliminaries meet at Moorpark High. In third place with just four hurdles to go, it was then that the Huntington Beach High sophomore kicked it into gear and finished with a personal-best time of 36.54, good for a final finish of second place. Add that finish to his winning his heat in the boys' 110-hurdles (15.97)

Randy Cruz saw the delivery from a different perspective Monday. Stationed behind home plate and in the visitor's dugout at the Saddleback High softball field, site of Ocean View's Golden West League game with the host Roadrunners, the Seahawks coach got a first-hand, straight-on look at freshman pitcher Brittany Hitchcock. "Her ball was really moving well and her inside and out pitches and drop curve were really happening," Cruz said. "It was really great to see her throw from that vantage point."

Fountain Valley High senior Kyle Middlebrooks doesn’t really see slow as an option. Even coming off a hamstring injury, Middlebrooks showed that he’s still plenty fast enough Saturday at the Orange County Track and Field Championships. The Arizona State-bound senior, who finished second in the 100 meters at the CIF State Meet last spring, also finished second Saturday. He crossed the line in 10.93 seconds, edged out by Orange Lutheran senior Damani Wilson (10.89)

Sloshing through the mud in the freezing rain, pushing a broken down motorcycle on a trip with his two sons along the Continental Divide Trail is a memory that has become even more precious for one father since his youngest son, Léon Roach III, died Sunday. The trip was just one of the family’s usual summer adventures, but looking back on the journey across the more than 2,500 mile trail, Léon Roach II remembers when his son grabbed him as they made their way along in the miserable conditions and said, “You’re my hero.

Fountain Valley High junior Kyle Middlebrooks started fast at the CIF State Track and Field Championships, while Edison’s Hillary Hayes and Matt McElroy laid back for awhile Saturday at Buchanan High in Clovis. All three got what they were looking for in the end, however. Middlebrooks finished second in the state in the boys’ 100-meter dash, while Hayes and McElroy also medaled with fourth and fifth-place finishes in the girls’ and boys’ 3200, respectively.

Allison Koressel didn’t sleepwalk through her performance, but a nap was probably looking really good after she won the girls’ pole vault at the CIF Southern Section Division II track and field finals Saturday at Cerritos College. Her winning mark of 12 feet 6 inches was solid — especially for someone who said she was operating on around five hours of sleep. It wasn’t nerves before the big meet for the Huntington Beach High senior, the co-state leader in the girls’ pole vault.