Stokke forced to settle for fourth

SACRMENTO — Allison Stokke of Newport Harbor High has spent the last few weeks dealing with sudden Internet fame and dodging the attention it comes with. Saturday, she settled in to attempt to win a second state championship in the girls pole vault.

Who knows how much she was affected by things away from the track? She continued to decline comment.

Stokke failed three times to clear 12 feet, 10 inches, settling for a fourth-place finish at 12-3 her senior season at the CIF State Championships at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

“It’s highly disappointing,” Harbor Coach Eric Tweit said. “But she’ll go on to compete at junior nationals and Nike outdoor.”

The senior didn’t get off the ground on her first attempt, rolling through the mat without using her pole. On her second two attempts at 12-10, Stokke went airborne but did not make an attempt to clear the bar.

Stokke, the CIF Southern Section Division II and CIF Masters champion, will attend UC Berkeley on a track scholarship in the fall.

And even if she had moved forward at the State Meet, overtaking Tori Anthony of Castilleja in Palo Alto would have been challenging to say the least.

Anthony set a national record in the pole vault by clearing 14-1. She made another attempt at 14-3 but couldn’t clear it.