Cal Record-Setting Vaulter Ali Sahaida Expects To Go Higher

Cal track and field has an ancient history with the pole vault.

Edwards Stadium, the Bears’ home facility since 1932, was the site of Cornelius “Dutch” Warmerdam making history as the first person to ever clear 15 feet in the vault. He did it in 1940 with a bamboo pole.

Eight years later, at the London Olympics, Cal grad Guinn Smith, who flew harrowing cargo missions over the Himalayas to the Allies during World War II, won a gold medal in the pouring rain with a clearance of 14-1 1/4.

Fast forward to this season, and Ali Sahaida, a senior from El Dorado Hills above Sacramento, has eclipsed the Cal women’s indoor and outdoor records in the pole vault.

She scaled 14-11 1/2 (4.6 meters) to finish fifth at the NCAA indoor meet, the best placement ever by a Cal entry in the event.

And two weeks ago, she validated that clearance with a 14-11 (4.55) vault to win the Mt. SAC Relays, breaking the previous Cal outdoor record by nearly six inches.

Warmerdam’s 15-foot barrier from yesteryear could happen anytime for Sahaida.

She ranks fifth nationally among collegiate vaulters this spring, and is within 2 1/4 inches of the No. 2 spot.

“Mt. SAC helped me have higher confidence,” Sahaida said this week. “This year in general, knowing more that I can do it instead of telling myself `I’m worse than these people so I’m going to not do well at this meet.’

“Now I’m thinking of myself as more of a player. Yeah, I’m with these people and I can do it.”

Ali Sahaida with an easy clearance | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Sahaida plans to compete next on Saturday at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Ariz., specifically because wants the challenge the meet will bring.

The field is expected to include University of Washington twin sisters Amanda and Hana Moll, two of the world’s best even as college juniors. Amanda owns a best of 16-1 1/4 (4.91) and Hana has cleared 16-0 (4.88).

Those are world-class heights but Dan Lafever, Cal’s jumps coach, sees plenty of growth left in Sahaida.

“She’s really matured as a vaulter. It’s been neat to see her after the NCAA (indoor) championships. Now she has more confidence in herself,” he said.

“She can jump inches higher. We’re working on cleaning up her technique. If she can continue to improve on that, there’s no reason she can’t jump 15-6 by the end of the summer.”

Sahaida’s goals for this summer including qualifying for the USA Championships, set for July 23-26 at Randall’s Island in New York City. To get there, she’ll need to make the automatic qualifying standard of 15-3 (4.65).

“I definitely have a lot of room for growth in my jump right now. If I just learn to get more upside down like Hana, I think there could be something there,” she said.

In the meantime, the rest of her final collegiate season offers plenty of opportunities to extend herself:

— The ACC Championships, May 14-16 at Louisville, KY

— The NCAA West Regionals, May 29-31 at Fayetteville, Ark.

— The NCAA Championships, June 10-13 at Eugene, Ore.

Sahaida is well aware of how high the Moll sisters have vaulted. But she sees no value in pursing a second- or third-place finish.

“You got to go in hoping to win. If you don’t have that mindset going in, you’re not going to even place,” she said. “Once I’m all settled in and make my opening bar, you have to have that mindset that you want to win.”

While awaiting the collegiate postseason, the learning process continues. At 6-foot-1, Sahaida is somewhat tall for a pole vaulter. She is at least four inches taller than the Moll twins, two inches taller even than men’s world-record holder Mondo Duplantis.

“She’s really got some unique qualities,” Lafever said. “She doesn’t like being tall, so I call her 5 feet, 14 inches. Even though she claims she’s not that tall.”

Lafever remembers first watching Sahaida as a high schooler. Her length provided a leverage advantage and she had what he calls “sneaky” speed on the runway. She wasn’t real strong and a key to her improvement was getting a long body upside down during the vault.

“At this point, it’s been a pretty fun ride,” he said, reflecting on her improvement.

Before getting to college, Sahaida said, “I wouldn’t even admit I was 6 feet tall. Now that it’s helped me, I’ve realized having height is really a cool thing. You just have to own it.”

Sahaida said her height allows her to use big poles, which can help her go higher. “A lot of people know my jump isn’t very technical. It’s just me being tall and fast and getting on big poles,” she said. “On the bright side, I have a lot to work on.”

Sahaida is studying molecular & cell biology at Cal, so she’s accustomed to being challenged. To strengthen her confidence, she has worked with a mental performance coach. Her resources don’t stop there.

“I’ve had a lot of people in my life who’ve had good faith in me. That’s definitely helped,” she said. “But it’s hard when a lot of people are saying, `You can jump really high,’ and then I feel like I never really did it . . . until now.”

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