Local trio embraces big stage at CIF State track and field championships

The idea of progress speaks to a person going farther than they ever have before.

Week after week, Marina High’s Skyler Magula has been doing exactly that.

The Vikings junior had never gone beyond the CIF Southern Section Division 2 preliminaries before this season.

He needed just three total jumps in the boys’ pole vault on Friday night to advance out of the preliminaries of the CIF State track and field championships at Clovis Buchanan High.

In typical prelims fashion, Magula did just enough to get to the final round. He cleared the bar at 14 feet, 9 inches, and then he bowed out of the competition once he knew he had made the cut.

Costa Mesa’s Tayla Crenshaw (discus throw) and Newport Harbor’s Aidan Elbettar (shotput) are the other local athletes who made it to the second and final day of the meet.

The top 12 athletes in all field events advanced to the state finals, as the meet concludes on Saturday with the crowning of state champions.

A clear favorite resides in the boys’ pole vault competition, with Davis’ Sondre Guttormsen having set the state record (18-2½) at the Arcadia Invitational this year.

Magula hopes to be in the running for a state medal, a remarkable feat considering the vastness of his improvement. He earned wins at both the divisional finals and the Masters meet.

“It was definitely about qualifying first,” Magula said. “That was my main objective, and then once I qualified, that’s when I was like, ‘All right. Let’s win.’

“I did that for those meets, and that’s what happened. The plan today was to qualify, so now tomorrow, you fight to win.”

It was not Magula’s first time at the state meet. He has attended the state finals in each of the last two years, as former teammates Jett Gordon and Michael Magula (brother) reached this stage, too.

Crenshaw had to play the waiting game after producing a mark of 140 feet, 6 inches on her first attempt in the girls’ discus throw.

It was a game that she was more than willing to indulge in, considering her first appearance at the state meet ended without registering a mark.

As she walked away from the ring, Crenshaw kept calm while expressing satisfaction with the fact that she had done her best. With one heat remaining, she had the fourth overall mark.

Crenshaw sweated it out to the end, claiming the last qualifying spot in her event.

“I felt confident with all of my throws that I was doing,” Crenshaw said. “I went in there and tried to give it my all.

“I wasn’t hoping that anyone would do bad, but I was hoping that I would make it and just qualify for the next day. That’s all I went in with.”

Mustangs coach Steve Moreno said that Crenshaw became the third state finalist in program history. She joins her twin sister Felicia, who twice made it to the state finals in the girls’ discus throw, and sprinter Quinton Bell, who placed third in the 100 meters in 2014.

Crenshaw has been vocal about the need for mental toughness in the CIF postseason, and the resolve of Elbettar was tested when he did not get the desired result on his first throw in the boys’ shotput.

The state preliminaries provide each competitor with three attempts, and the first-time state qualifier was down to his last two.

Then Elbettar unleashed a throw that sent the 12-pound shot a distance of 57-2¼. He breathed a sigh of relief and was able to enjoy the moment.

“For the first throw, I was kind of just edgy because I’ve never been here,” Elbettar said. “After the second throw, I felt great because I knew I was going to be here tomorrow, as well.

“I really want to get a medal because a sophomore getting a medal is not as common as you would think.”

Elbettar placed seventh in the preliminaries. The top six finishers in each event in the state finals will take the medal stand.

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CIF State track and field championships

At Clovis Buchanan High

Boys qualifiers by event

100 – 1. Hampton (Yucaipa) 10.34; 2. Allen (Tulare Union) 10.49; 3. Shakir-Ricks (Murrieta Mesa) 10.51; 4. Steward (Orng Gln) 10.631; 5. Archie (El Cerrito) 10.633; 6. Phillips Jr. (Dixon) 10.66; 7. Christon (Madison) 10.70; 8. Ellis (Mt. Carmel) 10.72; 9. Ajose (San Leandro) 10.731

200 – 1. Shakir-Ricks (Murrieta Mesa) 21.0; 2. Ellis (Mt. Carmel) 21.36; 3. Reynolds (Clayton) 21.46; 4. Franco (Whitney) 21.36; 5. Hampton (Yucaipa) 21.37; 6. Mulholland (Del Oro) 21.70; 7. Christon (Madison) 21.74; 8. Smith (Westview) 21.76; 9. Ajose (San Leandro) 21.87

400 – 1. Glasser (Marin Catholic) 47.54; 2. Larkin (Oakland Tech) 47.89; 3. Strader (Trinity Classical) 48.21; 4. Johnson (Valencia) 47.89; 5. Okonkwo (Murrieta Mesa) 48.03; 6. Samaniego (Vista Murrieta) 48.08; 9. Bland (Las Lomas) 48.73

800 – 1. Gomez (Westmont) 1:52.73; 2. Bush (Tesoro) 1:53.97; 3. Anderson (Carlmont) 1:54.35; 4. Charvet (Heritage) 1:52.89; 5. Hickman (Mission Viejo) 1:53.98; 6. Ratkovich (Loyola) 1:54.36; 7. Zarate-Sanchez (Davis) 1:53.02; 8. Van Dorpe (Mater Dei) 1:54.07; 9. Irish (Palos Verdes) 1:54.37; 10. Moreland (Campbell) 1:53.26; 11. Alexander (Vanden) 1:54.26; 12. Poynter (California) 1:54.49

1,600 – 1. Abberton (West Torrance) 4:12.0; 2. Colonna (St. Francis) 4:13.81; 3. Anderson (Redwood) 4:13.08; 4. Schroeder (Dublin) 4:13.96; 5. Medrano (Highland) 4:13.45; 6. Chahal (Burbank Burroughs) 4:14.09; 7. Hastings (L. Plumas) 4:13.82; 8. Rosenthal (High Tech) 4:14.63; 9. Sterkel (West Ranch) 4:14.36; 10. Opsahl (Redlands East Valley) 4:15.22; 11. Grover (JSerra) 4:15.41; 12. Middleton-Pearson (Dublin) 4:15.56

110HH – 1. Ellis (Vista del Lago) 13.93; 2. Williams (M. West) 13.98; 3. Foster (Clovis North) 14.16; 4. Woods (Clovis) 14.11; 5. Hunt (Simi Valley) 14.14; 6. Guttormsen (Davis) 14.17; 7. Butt (Carson) 14.236; 8. Wada-Law (Los Gatos) 14.239; 9. Reed (Grant) 14.30

300IH – 1. Roberson (Upland) 37.23; 2. Rash (ML King) 37.68; 3. Woods (Clovis) 37.98; 4. Mak (JSerra) 37.79; 5. Andrade (Redwood) 38.27; 6. Williams (Long Beach Millikan) 38.34; 7. Farmer (Rancho Bernardo) 38.60; 8. Lieu (Valhalla) 38.85; 9. Scott (Cosumnes Oaks) 38.98

400 relay – 1. Clovis North 41.16; 2. Murrieta Mesa 41.28; 3. Great Oak 41.43; 4. Long Beach Poly 41.47; 5. Tulare Union 41.662; 6. Rancho Verde 41.666; 7. Trabuco Hills 41.71; 8. Rancho Cucamonga 41.88; 9. St. Mary’s 41.99

1,600 relay – 1. Clayton Valley 3:13.48; 2. Murrieta Mesa 3:14.23; 3. Junipero Serra 3:15.91; 4. Aliso Niguel 3:16.85; 5. Long Beach Wilson 3:16.29; 6. Rancho Verde 3:16.39; 7. Roosevelt 3:16.59; 8. Valencia 3:17.11; 9. Clovis North 3:17.34

HJ – 1T. Allen (San Marcos) 6-5; 1T. Hicks (Clayton) 6-5; 1T. Lee (Trabuco Hills) 6-5; 4T. Tshiaba (Dorsey) 6-5J; 4T. Krauss (Liberty) 6-5J; 4T. Michiels (Northgate) 6-5J; 7T. Toler (Vacaville) 6-3; 7T. Molina (St. Francis) 6-3; 7T. Somerville (Clovis North) 6-3; 7T. Lott (California (6-3); 11T. Stratford (Scotts V.) 6-3 (jump-off); 11T. Ruddell (Morro Bay) 6-3 (jump-off)

LJ – 1. Clemons (St. Mary’s) 24-3¼; 2. Enos (St. Ignatius) 23-7¼; 3. Foster (Clovis North) 23-6¼; 4. Lewis (Oaks Christian) 23-4½; 5. Walls (Bullard) 23-1; 6. Carlisle (The Kings Ac) 22-10¼; 7. Stevenson (Great Oak) 22-9¾; 8. Jackson (Eastlake) 22-7½; 9. Wesley (Santa Ana Valley) 22-7¼; 10. Harris (Benicia) 22-7¼; 11. Wood (Clovis North) 22-6½; 12. Jermel (Grace Brethren) 22-5½

TJ – 1. Stevenson (Great Oak) 49-11¾; 2. McDaniel (Natomas) 48-10; 3. Agina (Sanger) 47-10¾; 4. Jackson (Eastlake) 47-10; 5. Clemons (St. Mary’s) 47-7½; 6. Pierre (Pittsburgh) 47-4¼; 7. Wei (South Pasadena) 47-1½; 8. Whitt (Clovis North) 46-8¼; 9. Ruth (Oceanside) 46-7¾; 10. Davis (Highland) 46-7; 11. Jones (Palisades) 46-7; 12. Mbamo (Rancho Bernardo) 46-0¼

PV – 1T. So. Guttormsen (Davis) 15-3; 1T. O’Brien (Loyola) 15-3; 3T. Ward (San Dieguito) 15-3J; 3T. Flores (Gilroy) 15-3J; 5. Seireeni (Harvard-Westlake) 15-3J; 6. Rice (Rancho Bernardo) 15-3J; 7. Fredeen (Turlock) 15-3J; 8. Quimson (Irvington) 15-3J; 9T. Valles (Canyon/CC) 14-9; 9T. Si. Guttormsen (Davis) 14-9; 11. Magula (Marina) 14-9J; 12. Amata (Roosevelt) 14-9J

SP – 1. Viveros (Liberty) 61-2¼; 2. Gould (Great Oak) 61-1; 3. Duensing (Esperanza) 60-3¾; 4. Lyons (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) 58-10¼; 5. Betchart (Washington) 57-9; 6. Cetti (Santa Barbara) 57-4¼; 7. Elbettar (Newport Harbor) 57-2¼; 8. Johnson (Buchanan) 56-11; 9. Phillips (Clovis North) 56-0; 10. Hurst (Corona Santiago) 55-11½; 11. Bryant (West Ranch) 54-11½; 12. Aviles (Ventura) 54-11¼

DT – 1. Fua (Valley Christian) 188-0; 2. Aviles (Ventura) 185-6; 3. Gould (Great Oak) 184-9; 4. Van Grouw (Central) 180-4; 5. McMullen (Hart) 179-11; 6. Stephens (Simi Valley) 178-0; 7. Lavalle (Mission Viejo) 176-10; 8. Viveros (Liberty) 176-7; 9. Werner (Granite Bay) 176-6; 10. Cruz (Newbury Park) 171-6; 11. Johnson (Buchanan) 170-10; 12. Navarro (Great Oak) 170-3

Girls qualifiers by event

100 – 1. Frost (Serra) 11.57; 2. Augustine (Long Beach Poly) 11.65; 3. Wilson (Stockdale) 11.72; 4. Nowling (Calabasas) 11.59; 5. Abba (Etiwanda) 11.79; 6. Bowens (Redlands East Valley) 11.81; 7. Allain (La Sierra) 11.945; 8. Shaheed (Madison) 11.950; 9. Bolden (Pittsburgh) 12.0

200 – 1. Frost (Serra) 23.65; 2. Augustine (Long Beach Poly) 23.82; 3. Robinson-Jones (Bishop O’Dowd) 23.99; 4. Nowling (Calabasas) 23.97; 5. Medley (El Toro) 24.09; 6. Carter (Santa Rosa) 24.30; 7. Surrell (Newark M.) 24.35; 8. Pipion (Vista del Lago) 24.38; 9. Hicks (Upland) 24.46

400 – 1. Medley (El Toro) 54.66; 2. Robinson-Jones (Bishop O’Dowd) 55.05; 3. Surrell (Newark M.) 55.23; 4. Carter (Santa Rosa) 55.12; 5. Herron (Serra) 55.29; 6. Meaders (Chino Hills) 55.35; 7. Umans (Chaminade) 55.44; 8. Johnson (Quartz Hill) 55.65; 9. Pipion (Vista del Lago) 55.91

800 – 1. McIntosh (Del Oro) 2:07.64; 2. Yago (Marymount) 2:10.78; 3. Tomkinson (Menlo) 2:12.94; 4. Stanziano (Concord) 2:10.86; 5. Penn (Corona Centennial) 2:12.20; 6. Sanacore (Los Alamitos) 2:13.30; 7. Johnson (Mission Viejo) 2:11.76; 8. Friedman (Santa Cruz) 2:12.78; 9. Browne (JW North) 2:14.06; 10. Ibarra (Riverside Poly) 2:13.10; 11. Harper (Trinity) 2:13.23; 12. Morales (Scripps R.) 2:15.026

1,600 – 1. M. Denner (Oak Ridge) 4:47.48; 2. Duarte (Chino Hills) 4:49.32; 3. Castillo (Saugus) 4:47.56; 4. O’Keefe (Davis) 4:49.92; 5. E. Denner (Oak Ridge) 4:47.81; 6. F. Cortes (Great Oak) 4:51.26; 7. Suarez (Mayfield) 4:48.12; 8. Peterson (Healdsburg) 4:51.38; 9. Lowe (Buchanan) 4:48.87; 10. Barnett (Village Christian) 4:51.08; 11. Jackson (Forest Lake) 4:51.59; 12. Riedman (La Costa) 4:52.99

100HH – 1. Hicks (Upland) 13.24; 2. Dyer (Temecula Valley) 13.67; 3. Wilson (Stockdale) 13.81; 4. Shearer (Silver Cr.) 13.66; 5. Bernard Joseph (Roosevelt) 14.02; 6. Merritt (Santa Margarita) 14.06; 7. Asjah (St. Anthony) 14.10; 8. Jones (San Marcos) 14.11; 9. Bowen (Edison/SJ) 14.14

300IH – 1. Bernard Joseph (Roosevelt) 42.33; 2. Robinson-Hubbard (Calabasas) 42.52; 3. Merritt (Santa Margarita) 42.63; 4. Brown (Segerstrom) 42.34; 5. Fletcher (Ponderosa) 42.96; 6. Scott (Vista) 43.21; 7. Greene (Carter) 43.256; 8. Payne (Long Beach Poly) 43.259; 9. Thomas (Torrey Pines) 43.54

400 relay – 1. Serra 45.74; 2. Calabasas 45.95; 3. Long Beach Poly 47.22; 4. Sheldon 46.43; 5. Arcadia 46.80; 6. Bishop O’Dowd 47.15; 7. Olympian 47.36; 8. Santa Margarita 47.49; 9. St. Mary’s 47.70

1,600 relay – 1. Bonita 3:45.96; 2. Quartz Hill 3:46.78; 3. Chino Hills 3:48.57; 4. Alemany 3:47.23; 5. Dana Hills 3:47.87; 6. Sheldon 3:48.0; 7. Serra 3:48.93; 8. St. Mary’s 3:50.13; 9. Woodcreek 3:51.13

HJ – 1T. Garner (Woodbridge) 5-5; 1T. Hickey (Coronado) 5-5; 1T. Glen (Long Beach Wilson) 5-5; 1T. Agina (Sanger) 5-5; 6T. Morales (Dos Pueblos) 5-5J; 6T. Peranich (St. Ignatius) 5-J; 6T. Blotzer (Corona Santiago) 5-5J; 6T. Kamba-Griffin (Davis) 5-5J; 10T. Burke (Riverside Poly) 5-5J; 10T. Lybbert (Davis) 5-5J; 12. Kaufman (Harvard-Westlake) 5-5J

LJ – 1. Hickey (Coronado) 19-3½; 2. Mallory (Desert) 19-3¼; 3. Downes (Kimball) 19-0¾; 4. Turner (Carson) 19-0; 5. Fletcher (Wildwood) 18-10¾; 6. Shearer (Silver Cr.) 18-8¼; 7. Ronan (St. Ignatius) 18-7½; 8. Ruotolo (Mater Dei) 18-6¼; 9. Wilson (Bonita) 18-5¾; 10. Jones (San Marcos) 18-2¼; 11. Hatcher (St. Mary’s) 18-1¾; 12. Yen (Arcadia) 18-1¼

TJ – 1. Shearer (Silver Cr.) 41-0; 2. Fisher (Silver Cr.) 40-9¼; 3. Fulton (Muir) 40-8; 4. Lee (Castro Valley) 40-6¾; 5. Hatcher (St. Mary’s) 40-5½; 6. McDonald (Mater Dei) 39-9¾; 7. Young (Carson) 39-5; 8. Garner (Woodbridge) 39-4½; 9. Kamara (Leigh) 39-2; 10. Ruotolo (Mater Dei) 39-1; 11. Lyon (Woodbridge) 39-0; 12. Wells (Taft Union) 38-6

PV – 1T. Wong (Santa Catalina) 12-6; 1T. Kern (Carondelet) 12-6; 3T. Grant (Presentation) 12-6J; 3T. Gonzalez (Apple Valley) 12-6J; 5T. Finau (Branham) 12-0; 5T. Cervantes (Poway) 12-0; 7. Aquilizan (Moreau) 12-0J; 8. Turner (Redondo) 12-0J; 9. Thomson (Poway) 12-0J; 10T. Sommers (Westlake) 12-0J; 10T. Grau (Mira Costa) 12-0J; 12. Flynn (Aliso Niguel) 12-0 (jump-off)

SP – 1. Budwig (Fowler) 46-10½; 2. Franklin (Golden Valley) 46-5½; 3. Hall (James Logan) 44-8¾; 4. Watts (Terra Nov.) 43-6½; 5. Ramirez (West Ranch) 43-1; 6. Butler (Buchanan) 42-11¾; 7. Bryant (Miramonte) 42-9¾; 8. Williams (Clovis North) 42-3; 9. Bender (Liberty) 42-0; 10. Tovi (San Gorgonio) 41-9¼; 11. Sale (Los Alamitos) 41-8¼; 12. Jackson (Redwood) 41-7¾

DT – 1. Budwig (Fowler) 174-2; 2. Grotegeer (Wheatland) 163-2; 3. Bender (Liberty) 158-1; 4. Nnaji (M. West) 155-9; 5. Bryant (Miramonte) 151-1; 6. Hall (James Logan) 150-7; 7. DiPaola (American) 149-5; 8. Wilkerson (Trabuco Hills) 147-7; 9. Ramirez (West Ranch) 146-5; 10. March (Granada) 143-2; 11. Blair (Calaveras) 142-9; 12. T. Crenshaw (Costa Mesa) 140-6

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner