The University of Houston Track and Field program wrapped its largest home meet of the season, the Howie Ryan Invitational & Multi’s, Saturday evening in the Yeoman Fieldhouse. More than 1,700 spectators and athletes were in attendance on day two alone. personal bests in the men’s pole vault. Jacob Fifi and Mitchell Schuster cleared 4.47m (14’-8”). more
New Jersey –The Hightstown High girls’ track and field team brought home four medals from the Mercer County Indoor Track & Field Championships at Lavino Fieldhouse Sunday, with two of them coming by way of flying over a bar. Sophomore Sienna Kochis took second place in the pole vault with a mark of 9-6, while junior teammate Elizabeth Lanphear grabbed fifth place with a vault of 7-6. Sienna was the (Central Jersey Group III) sectional champ outdoor last year so we knew that she was going to jump well in her first indoor season,” coach Tom McCafferty said. “But I was impressed with her tying her personal record and setting a new indoor school record yesterday.” Once again, coach Kim Kryscnski helped make a difference. ”Our vaulters train with the sprinters most days and a few times a week meet our pole vault guru Kim Kryscnski at varying facilities in Central and South Jersey to work on the vault,” McCafferty said. “The girls had been consistent so far this season, jumping 8 feet (Kochis) and seven-six (Lanphear), but had not had a breakthrough yet so it was great to see them finally both have a great day.”
Marlena Sabatino improved for the third straight year at the Skyland Conference Championships.
As a sophomore at Hillsborough High School, Sabatino soared 11-feet for second place in the girls pole vault at the Skyland meet. As a junior, she won her first Skyland crown, but jumped just 10-6.
In her senior season, she cleared 11-feet-6 to repeat as Skyland victor Saturday at Lehigh University.
”I think I jumped well,” Sabatino said. “I jumped 11-6. I was using the four-step approach. I felt like it was a pretty good accomplishment from a four-step. I took three attempts at 12. My third attempt was close.”
Sabatino figures that the higher heights will come to her as she works back up to her usual six-step approach, or even seven-step when the track and field team moved outdoors. ”I might compete in one more meet from a four-step,” Sabatino said. “After that, I’m going to go back to a six-step approach.”
Sabatino was the lone gold medalist for the girls team that placed third, just two points behind runner-up Hunterdon Central. Franklin won the girls crown
