Cal Vaulter Ali Sahaida Breaks Program Record at NCAA Indoors

Cal senior Ali Sahaida, competing at the NCAA indoor track and field championships for the first time, crushed her school record in the pole vault and placed fifth at Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.

A native of El Dorado Hills, Sahaida cleared 14 feet, 11 1/2 inches (4.56 meters), the highest vault by a Cal woman indoors or out. She added more than three inches to her own program record of 14-8 1/4 (4.49), set on Feb. 6 at Albuquerque, NM.

She entered the meet as the No. 12 seed in the field and moved up seven spots.

"I am so proud of her. She stepped up and battled with the best vaulters in the country and showed she is one of them,” Cal assistant coach Dan Lafever said. “It was the best field ever assembled at the indoor championships so we are thrilled with her performance."

Sahaida was first Cal woman to compete at the NCAA indoors in the vault since 2018, when Lauren Martinez placed 10th with a mark of 13-9 3/4 (4.21). Martinez held the Cal indoor record of 14-1 1/4 (4.30) before Sahaida left it behind this season.

Sahaida’s fifth-place finish was the highest ever in the event at the NCAA indoors by a Cal athlete, exceeding the eighth-place effort by Allison Stokke in 2011. 

Washington junior Hana Moll, the collegiate-recordholder at 16-1 1/4 (4.91) and 2026 world leader at 16-0 (4.88), won the title with a meet-record clearance of 15-9 3/4 (4.82). UCLA’s Marlene Mulla was second at 15-1 1/2 (4.61).

Sahaida was among four vaulters who scaled 14-11 1/2, and only four women nationwide have gone higher this season than she did. Sahaida climbed to No. 25 on the world indoor list.

Undefeated this season in four regular-season invitational meets, Sahaida placed third at the ACC championships, her first podium finish at a conference meet. She was the Cal athlete, male or female, to qualify for the national meet.

The Bears open their outdoor season next Friday and Saturday with the California Invitational at Edwards Stadium. The Brutus Hamilton will be held April 2-3-4 with the 131st Big Meet set for April 11 at Stanford.