Lehman Forcing Coach to Go to New Heights : San Dieguito Pole Vaulter Jumps 15-feet 3-inches to Set a School Record at Mustang Relays

For a long time, Mike Davis, the track coach at San Dieguito High School, has wanted a ladder.

Not for cleaning gutters or liberating cats. “We need one so we can get official measurements for the pole vault,” Davis said.

The way Matt Lehman kicked off his season Saturday at the 35th Mustang Relays track and field meet, Davis may spring for one himself.

Lehman cleared 15-feet 3-inches to set a personal and San Dieguito High record.

There was a slight glitch, though. Because the school is without a ladder, officials couldn’t get the metal tape high enough to obtain an exact measurement of the crossbar. Instead, they boosted the crossbar above the 15-foot mark, to where they thought 15-3 was.

“In practice, we put it an inch above where we think the height should be to make sure,” Lehman said.

Lehman, a senior, wanted to make sure fellow county vaulters know he aims to win the San Diego Section title. Last year, he finished third behind two seniors.

“I don’t want to sound conceited,” Lehman said, “but I wouldn’t call this my peak. I want to go 16, 17 feet.”

Two other top returning athletes, Brent Noon of Fallbrook and Glen Reyes of Orange Glen, indicated that their peaks could be higher than those of 1987.

Noon, a sophomore, threw the shot 59-7 1/2 and the discus 158-0 to propel Fallbrook to Division III victories in the three-person, total-distance events and a meet record in the latter. The shotput distance exceeded by 14 1/2 inches Noon’s sixth-place effort at the state meet last year.

“This early in the year, that was OK,” Noon said. “I’m not that concerned with how I throw now. What matters is how I throw in June.”

Noon, who won the section title in the shot last year, is aiming “to win the state title in both (the shot and discus).” He was the county’s sixth-best discus thrower last year.

“I need to stay back and let the hips lead, to depend more on my legs,” said Noon, who is 6-feet 2-inches and 255 pounds. “It’s like a baseball pitcher, a boxer or a golfer--the hips lead the swing.”

Noon snaps his lead leg so violently that the cartilage on the kneecap “got worn down,” he said. As a result, Noon underwent surgery in August. “It’s fine,” he said.

Reyes, a sprinter and long jumper, is also recovering from an injury. Last year he pulled a hamstring, preventing him from competing in the section meet.

After scratching his first two attempts--”I’ve never done that”--Reyes leaped 22- 1/2 as Orange Glen’s long jump team won in Division II. Reyes has done better. He set the ninth-grade national mark in 1986 (23-5) and the tenth-grade mark last year (24-2).

But his hamstring didn’t scream, so Reyes, a junior, was not too unhappy. “I should have jumped 24 feet,” he said. “I’m not going to talk about the hamstring anymore. This has to be the year for me.”

Jaime Butler of San Dieguito also indicated this could be her year. Butler won the invitational mile (5:28.86) and two-mile (11:59.53) and finished sixth in the invitation 880. Butler is a junior transfer from Ventura County.

“I think she even surprised herself,” said her coach, Dave Emmerson.

It was no surprise when Fallbrook’s Kristina Hand won the 880 invitational. She finished in 2:18.3, about five seconds off the time that brought her within .1 of first place in the state last year. In another strong effort for Fallbrook, Greg Frinnel led his team to a Division III team victory with a jump of 22-5.

Noon and Butler were named outstanding athletes of the meet.