Marina’s Skyler Magula puts on a Masterful display

Reporting from Torrance —  Skyler Magula is used to performing on the big stage in the boys’ pole vault, but not necessarily accustomed to being nervous at a meet.

The Marina High junior said he felt the butterflies at the start of Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Masters track and field meet at El Camino College. They quickly went away after he cleared 14 feet 9 inches on his first attempt, qualifying for his first CIF State Meet.

“Once I made the at-large mark, I was like, ‘OK, let’s bring it,’ and I brought it,” Magula said. “I got a PR on the biggest pole I’ve ever been on, so that was pretty good.”

Magula indeed won the Masters championship with a personal-best vault of 15-9. He’s one of three local athletes who advanced to the two-day CIF State Meet, which begins Friday with preliminaries at Clovis Buchanan High.

Costa Mesa High senior Tayla Crenshaw is returning to state in the girls’ discus. She qualified second at Masters, recording a 140-3 on her final throw. Newport Harbor High sophomore Aidan Elbettar is also on his way to Clovis, after he qualified second in the boys’ shotput at Masters with a personal-best heave of 57-7.

Athletes had to either finish top six in their respective events at Masters to advance to the CIF State Meet, or reach at-large qualifying marks.

Magula follows his older brother Michael, who finished second at Masters and eighth at state last year in the pole vault as a Marina senior. Michael now vaults at Long Beach State.

Skyler, who was one of three to clear 15-9 but won due to fewer overall misses, said his goal for next week is at least 16 feet. He took three attempts at 16-3 on Saturday.

“Especially with my jumps today, it’s right around the corner,” he said. “I know it’s coming soon.”

Crenshaw said she was excited Saturday because her grandmother, Evelia Orozco, got to watch her throw for the first time. She added that she dedicated her throws to her best friend, Anaiya Summerville, who graduated from Mater Dei High on Saturday morning.

“I was a little sad that I couldn’t make it [to the graduation] because I had Masters,” said Crenshaw, who made the state at-large mark with her first throw of 135-6 before achieving the 140-3 on her final attempt. “I was trying really hard to make her proud.”

Crenshaw didn’t make state in the shotput, where she finished 12th with a best throw of 38-0 1/4. But she said she’s excited to advance in the discus. She said her mom Lilia, as well as Summerville, will be in Clovis next weekend to watch her compete.

The quickly improving Elbettar, who stands 6 feet 8, came up with a big performance. Like Crenshaw, he qualified for state on his first atttempt.

Newport Harbor throws coach Tony Ciarelli said that Elbettar is the 50th thrower who has advanced to the state meet under his guidance. Ciarelli, who began coaching at Edison in 1982, added that the leadership of senior thrower Spencer Blake, whose season ended at the CIF divisional meet last week, has been invaluable for Elbettar’s development this season.

Elbettar seems primed for a big meet at state after hitting his personal best for the second straight week.

“When I released it, it kind of felt like it fell off my hand too much,” he said of his first throw. “I was so surprised that it went that far. [But] I have really good confidence.

“By the end of the season, I’m going for 60 feet. I have one week left, and hopefully I can hit that.”

Corona del Mar High senior Morgan Simon, the Division 3 champion in the girls’ pole vault with a clearance of 12-4, did not move on. Simon only cleared the opening height of 10-11 at Masters, finishing tied for 12th.

“Every once in a while you don’t have your day, and she didn’t have her day today,” CdM throws coach Fritz Howser said. “It’s tough.”

Huntington Beach junior Jack Wiseman finished tied for seventh in the boys’ high jump at 6-4, while Edison junior Aiden Garnett was 11th at 6-2. The at-large mark was 6-6.

Marina sophomore Alejandra Rosales finished 10th in the girls’ discus with a throw of 125-1.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo