Pole Vault

BOYS' TRACK & FIELD CIF Southern Section Division II preliminaries MOORPARK — Newport Harbor High's Ethan Cochran qualified first in the discus throw with a mark of 181 feet, 7 inches to pace the Sailors on Saturday at Moorpark High. Ryan Andrews qualifed third in the shot put (56-5), in which JB Salem qualified fifth (55-7) and Trevor Lawrence qualified ninth. Steven Michaelsen qualified fifth in the discus (170-8). Sailors Mark Sakioka and Fred Howser both qualified in the pole vault with a clearance of 14-3.

BOYS' TRACK AND FIELD Sunset League finals NORWALK — Senior Mark Sakioka broke his own school pole vault record and the Newport Harbor boys won their first league title in at least 11 years at Cerritos College on Thursday, with the discus events completed Friday at Huntington Beach High. Newport Harbor finished with 119 points and is considered co-champion with Fountain Valley, which went 5-0 in dual meets, Coach Nowell Kay said. Los Alamitos was second at league finals with 97 points.

Mark Sakioka was 8 years old when his parents bought a trampoline for the backyard. The family had just remodeled the house and decided to get the jumping device for three children. Sakioka took it to new heights. Next to the trampoline was a portable basketball unit, and like any kid, Sakioka put the two to use. Sakioka and a friend decided to do back flips off the rim and toward the trampoline, where they could launch themselves and flip. The flipping around continued for five years until Stephanie Sakioka came out and saw what her son and his friend were up to one day in the backyard.

MISSION VIEJO — Ties aren't supposed to happen at the Orange County Track and Field Championships, but that's what Newport Harbor High senior Mark Sakioka found himself in late Saturday morning. The heat, approaching 90 degrees, was bearing down on Sakioka and his good friend, El Toro senior Adam Bragg. Both had cleared 15 feet, 9 inches in the pole vault, but what did they have left? "It was the wrong day to be wearing long black tights," Sakioka said. "Right when I got out from under my umbrella, I could feel the heat.

Spring break is almost over in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Plenty of local track and field athletes officially get back to work Saturday, when they'll compete at the Orange County Track and Field Championships at Mission Viejo High. Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner just wishes the meet was on a different weekend. "It shows up in the wrong place for us," Sumner said. "We're on spring break and, in Newport Beach, a lot of kids travel during spring break. " Sumner expects to have almost his full team for this meet, but he said whether or not they kept with their training over the past week is a different matter.

Newport Harbor High senior Ryan Andrews finished third in the invitational boys' shot put event at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on Saturday night at Arcadia High. Andrews upped his personal best of a 59 feet 5 1/2 with a 59-8 effort at Arcadia, finished just behind Jesuit's Steven Boals (59-9) for second. Dos Pueblos' Nicholas Scarvelis was first with an impressive 64-1 3/4. Andrews' teammates JB Salem and Steve Michaelsen came in ninth and 13th, respectively in the event.

TRACK AND FIELD Newport Harbor Sailors' junior Sophie Evans cleared 9 feet, 10 inches to win the girls' Division II title in the pole vault at the Mt. Carmel Invitational at Mt. Carmel High in San Diego Saturday. Senior Mark Sakioka tied for second place in the boys' Division I pole vault, clearing 15-2. Max Van Bergh set a personal best with a 14-2. Newport Harbor's Titus Hasson won his heat in the 100 meters in 11.2 seconds at the Laguna Hills Invitational.

Newport Harbor High senior Mark Sakioka cleared 16 feet in the pole vault to win his flight at the Reno Pole Vault Summit Jan. 29. Sakoika set a school record and grabbed the top mark in the state, his coach, Fritz Howser, said. The former record was set in 1987 by RW Henson at 15-7. Sakioka nearly cleared 16-3 to finish the competition. His 16-foot clearance was quite an achievement. His previous personal record was 15-1, from last year. Sakioka set the boys' frosh-soph record of 14-1 in 2009, his sophomore year.

The Costa Mesa High football team is planning for a special event Saturday to help raise funds for Carlos Vazquez, an incoming senior standout who was diagnosed with leukemia in June. The footbal team will be conducting its annual Lift-A-Thon and BBQ at Costa Mesa with a meaningful morning event: "Hair Cutting For Carlos." In an effort to support Vazquez, the players are planning to shave their hair. The team will also have a few volunteer hair stylists to help with the cuts in the morning, that is open for the community.

On certain days during this month, Allie Krugman has spent her time at Pepperdine University. It's a break from the norm, something she can use as she intensely works on the pole vault. At Pepperdine, she can escape, studying film with others as part of the digital filmmaking camp. She now knows how to shoot a short film. A live camera might be needed for Krugman today. It could provide entertainment, maybe even a happy ending. Krugman, an incoming senior at Newport Harbor High, will compete in the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in Sacramento.