ENCINITAS — After a record-breaking sophomore season, San Dieguito Academy junior Dylan Yarbrough is aiming even higher this spring — literally.
Last year, Yarbrough set the sophomore record at the 2024 Jaguar Invitational at Don Nicholson Stadium in Tracy, California, with a vault of 16 feet, 2 inches. The vault surpassed the previous record of 16 feet set by La Costa Canyon alum Garrett Brown.
“My previous personal record was 15 feet,” Yarbrough said. “When I got to the meet, there was a strong tailwind, so I cleared 15 easily. Then we moved to 15’3” and 15’6.” When we raised it to 16 feet, I cleared it. I just focused on hitting it hard and getting back fast. It was an amazing feeling with everyone cheering, knowing I had just set a record.”
Now a junior, Yarbrough has his sights set on the county junior record of 16 feet, 8 inches, set by University City’s Kai Anderson last season.
“I’m going for the record this year,” Yarbrough said. “Right now, [Anderson] is clearing 16’9” and is aiming for 17 feet.”
Yarbrough has circled the Jaguar Invitational, Arcadia Invitational, and Mt. SAC (San Antonio College) Relays as key meets where he hopes to make his mark.
“The bigger meets are coming up,” he said. “I’m not peaking yet. Next week, I’ll probably lay off heavy training and start going for higher bars.”
In pursuit of the record, Yarbrough has focused on improving his speed and comfort with larger poles. He currently uses a 16-foot pole but plans to switch to a 16.5-foot model later this month.
“I can definitely improve my speed,” he said. “That will help me get on bigger poles. The higher-length pole is really going to fly me over.”
Pole vaulting runs in the family. His father, Jason Yarbrough, vaulted for UC Davis in the early 1990s and introduced Dylan to the sport through the North County Pole Vault Club in Escondido.
“It’s exciting because it’s a passion I had when I was growing up, and it’s fun to watch him share the same joy I had when I was vaulting,” Jason Yarbrough said. “To see him take off and develop so much faster than I ever did is an exciting journey to be on with him.”
Early on, Jason Yarbrough, who had a personal best of 14 feet, 6 inches in high school, watched in amazement as his son quickly surpassed his accomplishments, adding that he has a “natural aptitude.”
“The major step to becoming a real pole vaulter is bending the pole,” Dylan said. “I picked it up fast.”
Jason Yarbrough still recalls his son’s first meet as an eighth grader in Menifee.
“He got a personal record (PR) of 8 feet,” he said. “You ring a bell when you set a personal record, and he kept going. He rang the bell five times by the end of the meet. I didn’t vault 10 feet until the end of my freshman year, and he did 10’6” in his first meet as an eighth grader.”
In addition to his dad, Dylan draws inspiration from Swedish Olympic champion Armand “Mondo” Duplantis.
“Mondo is going crazy right now setting world records,” Yarbrough said. “I love watching the Olympics.”
Off the track, Yarbrough is ASB president at San Dieguito Academy, elected by the student body.
“I wanted more leadership experience,” he said. “It’s a lot of meetings with the principal and public speaking and planning events, so it takes up a lot of my time, but it’s been fun.”
However, his achievements on the track have drawn early recruiting interest from Harvard and Stanford.
Yarbrough will compete in the Division II CIF San Diego Section Track and Field Championships on May 17 at University City High School. The top finishers will move on to the Masters finals the following Saturday, May 24, at Mt. Carmel High School.
