Oak Park's Aubree Stark chooses UCLA

Aubree Stark, an Oak Park High senior, has signed a letter of intent to attend UCLA.

Stark has set school, league and meet records in the pole vault while at OPHS.

"UCLA has the strongest track team in the nation, and the pole vault coach, Anthony Curran, is among the top coaches in the world," Stark said. "UCLA is academically the right choice for me, being among the best ranked universities and still in Southern California."

Stark was disappointed last season after pulling her quadriceps muscle during the Masters Meet at the CIF finals.

"I'm healthy now and looking forward to my final high school season," she said.

Stark said that if it were not for Oak Park track and field coach Kevin Smith, she and a lot of other kids would never have had the opportunity to learn to pole vault.

Coach Smith, an alumnus of UCLA, brought back pole vaulting as a field event at Oak Park after it had been disbanded for many years.