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Krickl is reaching new heights
In just a month, Maria Carrillo sophomore has improved 7 inches in high jump

By ERIC BRANCH
Press Democrat Staff Writer


In many sports, seven inches is insignificant. In the high jump, however, seven inches can 
open up a world of possibilities.

Just ask Maria Carrillo sophomore Julia Krickl, a 16-year-old who was battling confidence 
issues and the 5-foot barrier in late April. Now she’s off to the ultra-exclusive CIF State 
Track and Field Meet and can see a college career in her future.

“Seven inches in a month,” Maria Carrillo coach Rich Flores said. “That’s pretty much 
unheard of.”

But clearly not impossible.

On April 29, a day before a league meet at Ukiah, Krickl’s career-best leap was 4 feet, 
10 inches, a relatively middling mark that ranked fifth in the Empire this season.

Then she jumped 5-2 at Ukiah. And 23 days later, she cleared 5-5 — matching the seventh-
best jump in Empire history — to finish second at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions. 
It was a performance that earned her a trip to state and had a college coach asking Pumas 
assistant Greg Fogg about his promising 5-foot-11 leaper.

Krickl is one of 12 Empire athletes who have qualified for the two-day state meet at 
Cerritos College in Norwalk. Preliminaries begin today.

And it will include a kid who never expected to be there. But Krickl is present because 
she reached a height only three other Empire girls have cleared since 1998.

“I went into (the Meet of Champions) thinking it was just a bonus,” Krickl said. “It was 
the end of track season and if I got 5-2 I would have been unbelievably happy. I had no 
idea I would go to state.”

So how exactly did Krickl go from OK to outstanding? It’s taken a small village.

In addition, to Flores and Fogg, Krickl also began receiving counsel in April from her 
English teacher, Paul Vanek, a former track coach at Deer Valley in Antioch, and Vanek’s 
wife, Missy, 28, a former All-American and Pac-10 champion heptathlete at Cal who competed 
professionally.

The Vaneks lengthened her approach — from six to eight steps — and schooled her on other 
technical aspects.

Paul Vanek says they quickly knew they had a lot to work with.

Krickl, who has an ideal jumper’s frame, could continue to grow and is a natural athlete 
who will play varsity basketball and tennis next year.

She may be a three-sport athlete, but after a dizzying span of 23 days she is increasingly 
defining herself as a high jumper.

“She has a high jumper’s physique and she has spring in those legs, which is the most 
important thing,” Flores said. “I think by the times she’s through, she’s going to be 
jumping around 5-8 or 5-10, which is in a national class.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com

 
LOCAL ATHLETES COMPETING AT STATE

Troy Baker
Santa Rosa, junior
Event: 1,600 meters
Personal record: 50-6
Empire record: 63-10½ (Dennis DeSoto, Santa Rosa, 1981)
Seed at state: 23 of 26 (50-6)
State’s top seed: Colin Quirke, Los Gatos, 61-4

Lauren Curtin
Maria Carrillo, sophomore
Event: 1,600 meters
Personal record: 4:55.11
Empire record: 4:42.79 (Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa, 1997)
Seed at state: 11 of 27
State’s top seed: Christine Babcock, Woodbridge, 4:36.57

Austin Davis
Cardinal Newman, senior
Event: Discus
Personal record: 165-1
Empire record: 181-6¼ (Chris Day, Montgomery, 1981)
Seed at state: 14 of 24 (158-3)
State’s top seed: Dayshan Ragans, Foothill, 199-2

Matt Durling
El Molino, senior
Event: Discus
Personal record: 158-1
Empire record: 181-6¼ (Chris Day, Montgomery, 1981)
Seed at state: 15 of 24 (158-1)
State’s top seed: Dayshan Ragans, Foothill, 199-2

Matt Egelhoff
Rancho Cotate, junior
Event: High jump
Personal record: 6-6
Empire record: 7-0¼ (Pat Leonard, Piner, 1995)
Seed at state: 25 of 27 (6-4)
State’s top seed: Ray Nikzat, Lodi, 6-9

Julia Krickl
Maria Carrillo, sophomore
Event: High jump
Personal record: 5-5
Empire record: 5-11 (Mindi Wiley, Sonoma, 2005)
Seed at state: 14 of 29 (5-5)
State’s top seed: Adrienne Johnson, Carondelet, 5-10

Sterling Lockert
Petaluma, junior
Event: 1,600 meters
Personal record: 4:16.07
Empire record: 4:09.91 (Mike Perez, Lower Lake, 2006)
Seed at state: 17 of 26
State’s top seed: German Fernandez, Riverbank, 4:07.62
Note: Finished 18th at state in the 3,200 last year.

Corinne Rich
Montgomery, senior
Event: Shot put, discus
Personal record: 40-6 (shot put); 136-4 (discus, Empire record)
Empire record: shot put — 43-10 (Melissa Van Paris, Sonoma, 2004)
Note: Rich will not compete at state due to a conflict with Montgomery’s graduation.

Patrick Sammons
Sonoma, senior
Event: Discus
Personal record: 153-3
Empire record: 181-6¼ (Chris Day, Montgomery, 1981)
Seed at state: 22 of 24
State’s top seed: Dayshan Ragans, Foothill, 199-2

Jacque Taylor
Casa Grande, sophomore
Event: 1,600 meters, 3,200
Personal records: 4:53.78 (1,600); 10:47.02 (3,200)
Empire records: 
1,600 — 4:42.79 (Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa, 1997); 
3,200 — 10:11.11 (Sara Bei, Montgomery, 2001).
Seed at state: 
1,600 — 12 of 27 (4:58.66); 
3,200 — 17 of 26 (11:01.73)
State’s top seeds: 
1,600 — Christine Babcock, Woodbridge, 4:36.57; 
3,200 — Laurynne Chetelat, Davis, 10:05.95
Note: Placed fourth at state in the 3,200 meters as a freshman.

Mike Tracy
Windsor, sophomore
Event: High jump
Personal record: 6-7
Empire record: 7-0¼ (Pat Leonard, Piner, 1995)
Seed at state: 21 of 27 (6-4)
State’s top seed: Ray Nikzat, Lodi, 6-9

Joe Withers
Cardinal Newman, senior
Event: 800 meters
Personal record: 1:56.20
Empire record: 1:49.21 (Dan Aldridge, Petaluma, 1975)
Seed at state: 23 of 28 (1:57.52)
State’s top seed: Sebastian Sam, Oak Grove, 1:53.29

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