Girls Track Co-Athlete of the Year: Allison Koressel

For the first time in her high school career, Huntington Beach senior Allison Koressel entered the track and field season completely healthy. She was ready to make the most of the potential she had flashed while finishing second at the CIF-SS Division II finals in 2008.

Koressel did more than give brief glimpses of her capabilities in 2009. She transformed her tantalizing potential into a season-long display of consistent success and accomplishments that placed among the best vaulters in county history.

For her consistent display of excellence, Koressel has been selected the Register’s 2009 Girls Track and Field Co-Athlete of the Year.

“This season was really exciting,” Koressel said. “I was just going out trying to better my marks never really thought about my winning.”

Koressel began her campaign with strong wins at the Irvine and Triton Invitationals, winning the latter by setting a school record with a mark of 12 feet, six inches.

“That was my goal going into the season,” she said.

But it was her performance at the Surf City Invitational that announced Koressel’s arrival among the elite high school  vaulters.

Competing against a field of talented county competitors – including Santa Margarita junior and defending CIF-SS Division III champion Claire Hawkins, Mater Dei junior and defending CIF-SS Division II champion Brooke Arthur and Los Alamitos sophomore and freshman county record holder Carissa Culver – Koressel emerged from the group to win the competition when she cleared 12 feet, seven inches.

However, she was eager to go from a great mark to a historical effort. She confidently sprinted down the runway and vaulted over the bar at 13 feet, one inch, joining former Newport Harbor star Allison Stokke (13-7 in 2007) and former Edison standout Tori Pena (13-2 in 2006) as the only county athletes to surpass 13 feet.

“I jumped with both of them and I never thought I’d get that high,” Koressel recalled. “Once I finally did, it didn’t click for me until later in the season.”

Koressel enjoyed more success at the three biggest regular season meets of the season, winning at Arcadia, Mt. SAC and the Orange County Championships in successive weeks. With that run of success, she had firmly established herself as one of the top vaulters in the nation.

She then continued her impressive vaulting into the postseason, winning the Sea View League and CIF-SS Division II titles, while tying for the best overall mark at the CIF-SS Masters Meet.

Though an off day at the CIF State Track and Field Championships prevented the UCLA-bound senior from completing her season with a coveted state title, Koressel looks back at her historical campaign with positive memories and as a tribute to what hard work and belief can accomplish.

“The state meet was disappointing to me, but once I thought about it, I exceeded what I wanted to do and had an amazing season,” she said.

Contact the writer: jeichelberger@ocregister.com