One successful clearance each is all professionals Oates, Ross need to prevail in dress rehearsal for elite showcase in two weeks at same venue; La Costa Canyon junior Brown just misses all-time San Diego Section record 16-8.25 (5.09m) 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Kortney Ross patiently played the waiting game Saturday night at the Vaulter Club Vaulter Magazine Nationals Tuneup meet, and it paid off.

As for Tray Oates, Kyle Brown and Garrett Brown, they will all have to wait two more weeks for another opportunity to challenge personal bests and records in Sun City, Calif.

And the rest of the country will have to wait at least another six months until Westlake High standout Paige Sommers returns to the runway for competition following the most successful season by a junior girls vaulter in U.S. prep history.

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After a strong windstorm forced the delay of the beginner competition in the afternoon, both the men’s and women’s advanced sections were pushed back more than 45 minutes from their original start times.

Although Ross didn’t take her first competition jump until 11:02 p.m. PDT, one clearance at 14 feet, 2.75 inches (4.34m) was all she needed to prevail after Sommers had cleared 13-3 (4.04m) and missed all three attempts at 13-9 (4.19m).

Ross had three opportunities at 14-6.75 (4.44m), with her last one coming at 11:15 p.m., nearly four hours after Oates had prevailed in the men’s advanced competition at 17-6.25 (5.34m).

Sommers, who had cleared 14 feet (4.27m) at the Big Red Barn facility June 6 and 14-1.75 (4.31m) on June 27, was looking to become the first high school vaulter to produce four 14-foot efforts during her 11th-grade year after setting the national junior class record with her 14-6 (4.41m) performance Feb. 22 at the Thousand Oaks Invitational.

But after entering the competition at 10:20 p.m. by clearing 12-3.25 (3.74m) on her first opportunity, Sommers added second-attempt clearances at 12-9 (3.89m) and 13-3, before concluding her summer season with three unsuccessful tries at 13-9.

Sage Creek junior Maya Grudman took third by clearing 12-3.25 on her second attempt, edging North County Pole Vault Club teammate Katerina Adamiec, a Poway graduate and UCLA signee who achieved a third-attempt clearance at the same height. Both individuals missed all three tries at 12-9.

The men’s advanced competition provided several exciting moments, with La Costa Canyon junior Garrett Brown attempting the all-time San Diego Section record, UCLA redshirt junior Kyle Brown pursuing a new personal best and Oates, representing Arizona Pole Vault Academy, taking three tries at the facility record.

But all three athletes endured heartbreaking near misses, especially Garrett Brown on his third attempt at 16-8.25 (5.09m), which would have surpassed the 2005 mark of 16-8 (5.08m) established by Derek Scott of Oceanside El Camino.

Garrett Brown, running from his full nine-left approach for the first time since March, cleared 16-2.50 (4.94m) on his second attempt to secure third place. On his final opportunity at 16-8.25, Brown had at least five inches of height in front of the bar, but barely brushed it on the way down, resulting in it being knocked off and forcing him to wait until July 31 at the high school nationals at the same venue.

Kyle Brown cleared a season-best 16-8.25 on his second attempt to finish runner-up to Oates, and had three tries at a personal-best 17-2.25 (5.24m), but also suffered a frustrating close call on his final opportunity.

Oates needed only one attempt at 17-6.25 to secure the victory, before moving the bar to 18-5.25 (5.62m), which would have exceeded the facility record of 18-4.75 (5.61m) achieved June 27 by Nate Richartz of Risen Performance.

Oates’ best opportunity also came on his third attempt, but he and Ross will both return to the same runway Aug. 1 for the elite men’s and women’s competitions at nationals.