Vaulting ahead

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. Koressel understandably stayed out late the night before, because it was her senior prom night. The Oilers held it at a club in Long Beach.

“The technique probably wasn’t the best,” said the UCLA-bound Koressel, who won CIF for the first time by vaulting six inches higher than last year’s Division II winner, Brooke Arthur of Mater Dei. “It’s all good. I’m really excited about winning CIF … I’m obviously going to concentrate a little bit harder [this] weekend.”

Koressel was just one of several locals to finish top nine in their events (top 12 in the distance running and field events), qualifying them for Friday’s CIF Southern Section Masters Meet, also at Cerritos College. The top five at Masters advance to the CIF State meet.

For Fountain Valley High junior Kyle Middlebrooks, divisional finals were the continuation of a breakout track season. Fast out of the blocks, he held on to win the Division I 100-meter dash in a wind-aided 10.51 seconds. Middlebrooks also finished fifth in the 200 (21.68), although he didn’t qualify for Masters in the latter event.

“It’s really exciting,” said Middlebrooks, a standout running back for the Barons who recently received his first Pac-10 football offer from Washington State. “I’m pretty happy with it, taking CIF and making the next round. Last year I didn’t make it, so it was a good race. Masters is going to be fun. The 100 is going to be a real fast race.”

Edison High junior Matt McElroy nearly won an event as well, but he was edged by six-hundredths of a second at the end of the Division II 3,200-meter race by Heyden Woof of Camarillo. Woof ran 9:04.72, and McElroy 9:04.78. McElroy will also be seeded second to Woof at Masters.

He also finished fourth in the 1,600, qualifying for Masters in what Coach Derek Harrison said was a personal-best time of 4:15.60.

“He ran a perfect race in the 3,200,” Harrison said. “The kid just nipped him right at the line. Matt’s still learning how to run the 1600, still learning the idiosyncrasies. But he’s steadily improved at it every time.”

Fountain Valley senior Jeff Tran has also qualified in the boys’ pole vault. His clearance of 14-9 in Division I tied him for first, but he placed second due to more misses. Oilers junior Mike Loschavo, another vaulter, advanced to Masters along with Koressel. Loschavo finished fourth in Division II, clearing 14-3.

Like McElroy, Edison senior Hillary Hayes advanced in the 1,600 and 3,200. Hayes, who finished eighth in the 1,600 at last year’s CIF State meet, finished fourth in the event at Saturday’s Division II finals in 4:57.04. Her 3,200 time of 10:50.90 was good for sixth in Division II.

Koressel is one of three girls who cleared 12-6 at the divisional finals. Her top mark of 13-1 this year, which she’s accomplished twice, still leads the state. However, on popular track site dyestat.com, Koressel has discovered Ellie McCardwell from Indiana, who now leads the nation with a vault of 13-5.

“I take it as incentive to do better,” Koressel said. “My mom is always on DyeStat. I always see what’s going on.”

Koressel will sleep just fine if she can top McCardwell.

MASTERFUL

Local qualifiers for Friday’s CIF-SS Masters Meet

 Allison Koressel, Huntington Beach (girls’ pole vault)

 Kyle Middlebrooks, Fountain Valley (boys’ 100)

 Matt McElroy, Edison (boys’ 1,600, 3,200)

 Hillary Hayes, Edison (girls’ 1,600, 3,200)

 Jeff Tran, Fountain Valley (boys’ pole vault)

 Mike Loschavo, Huntington Beach (boys’ pole vault)