Marina vaulter Magula stays close to home with Long Beach State signing
The decision that Michael Magula made on Tuesday evening was just the latest incident to prove that the future is yet unwritten.
The recent Marina High graduate and state meet qualifier in boys’ pole vault signed on to continue his track and field career with the Long Beach State 49ers.
“They have a really great program and beautiful facilities,” Magula said when asked what keyed his decision. “The pole vault coach (Brandon Hierholzer) talked to my dad and I after the state meet about them being interested, so I met with the head coach (Andy Sythe), and it all worked out.”
Magula had planned to attend and train at Golden West College, where his father, Kevin, is also the pole vaulting coach.
“With pole vault, you never really know what is going to happen next,” Magula added. “This opportunity is really a great example that you never can really tell what’s going to happen next.
“I genuinely expected to go to Golden West College until the state meet.”
As a senior, Magula made great strides to join the ranks of the state’s top performers in the event. He bested the bar at 15 feet or higher in 12 different meets this year, clearing a new personal record of 16 feet in finishing as the runner-up at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.
The Daily Pilot Dream Team selection took eighth in the state finals with a clearance of 15 feet, 4 inches.
It’s just another Big West signing for Marina’s state meet representatives, as Kyle Tsu (UC Irvine) and Jake Arnold (UC Riverside) also will compete within the conference.
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
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