Jeff Coover Article (CA)

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/pr ... brand.html

Senior wins section pole vault title at 16-4

By Steve Brand
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 29, 2005


JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune
Helix's Dax Danns (center) win the 100 meters in 10.65, ahead of Southwest's Dustin Driscoll (right) and Torrey Pines' Danny Belch.
Any other year, La Jolla's Jeff Coover would have been the toast of the San Diego Section track and field championships.

Coover soared 16 feet, 4 inches yesterday at Mt. Carmel High to win the pole vault and qualify for next weekend's state championships in Sacramento, a mark that puts him among California's best.

But earlier this year El Camino's Derek Scott put the section record a bit higher, topping 16-8 at the Sundevil Invitational – just weeks before suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

Coover had to be content with a school and section-meet record, bettering marks set last week when he cleared 16-2.

"This was my first meet and first experience with my new pole," said the Vikings senior, who missed three tries at 16-7 but scored big in La Jolla's Division II title run. "I jumped on it when I tried 16 feet, and I could feel the pole pop. It was a great feeling. Now I'm confident I can still get that 17-footer at state."


His female counterpart, Rancho Bernardo's Kate Mattoon, took three tries at pushing her own section record to 12-10 after leaving the field behind at 12-5 – also a section-meet record.

"I should have gotten it, but I'm not concerned," said Mattoon, who earlier this season set the section record at 12-9 and will attend Notre Dame in the fall. "I still have the state meet."