California track & field pole vaulters Ali Sahaida and Sam Novak have been selected as ACC award-winners for their impressive outings this past weekend, as announced by the conference Tuesday. Sahaida was named the ACC Women's Field Athlete of the Week, while Sam Novak was recognized as the ACC Men's Freshman of the Week - becoming the first Golden Bear pole vaulting duo to be honored on the same day.
 
This is the first weekly award for Sahaida, who becomes Cal's first female pole vaulter to earn conference recognition since former teammate Amari Turner was selected as the Pac-12 Women's Field Athlete of the Week in 2024. Her eight-inch personal best of 4.49m (14-8.25) in the New Mexico Collegiate Classic's A section was the best vault by any Cal woman in history (indoors or outdoors) and eclipsed the program's 8-year-old school record of 4.30m (14-1.25) by 7.5 inches. It was also high enough for Sahaida to claim her third event title and remain undefeated on the year, rising to No. 1 in the ACC and No. 6 in the nation this season.
 
"I'm very grateful for all the people that have helped me and very proud of the progress I've made during my time at Cal," Sahaida said. "I've been waiting over three years for things to connect like this in my jump, and this year I've just been trying to be more confident in myself and my abilities. I'm looking forward to jumping big at ACCs and Nationals."
 
"We all knew this was possible if things clicked, and it was so much fun to see it come together," said assistant coach Dan Lefever, who leads the vertical jumps and multi-events group. "I'm really happy the squad was there to share in the celebration."
 
Novak, who became the first Cal athlete to earn an indoor freshman of the week award on Jan. 20, is now the first pole vaulter in program history to win a conference award multiple times in the same season as well as the first Cal men's freshman to win multiple conference honors in four years (Mykolas Alekna, 2022). At the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, he improved his own freshman record to 5.45m (17-10.5) – a PR of 7.75 inches – and clinched his second event title in the men's A section while rising into a tie for No. 3 in program history. Novak currently ranks third in the ACC as well as the nation's top freshman.
 
"I'm really proud of how Sam managed himself competing in the elite field," Lefever said. "It's always fun when a new face does well so quickly, and it's certainly very promising for his potential. He is easy to coach and adds a lot to the squad – it's such a fun group that supports each other every day."
 
Sahaida will be back in action this weekend at the Battle Born Classic in Reno, Nevada, while Novak will have the weekend off before competing in the upcoming ACC Indoor Championships.
 
ACC Track & Field Athletes of the Week – Feb. 10, 2026
Men's Track – Nick Plant, Virginia Tech
Men's Field – Jeremiah Nubbe, Virginia
Men's Freshman – Sam Novak, California
Women's Track – Stephanie Moss, Duke
Women's Field – Ali Sahaida, California
 
2026 ACC Weekly Track & Field Awards – California Honorees
Sam Novak – Men's Freshman, Jan. 20
Pietro Camilli – Men's Freshman, Jan. 27
Ali Sahaida – Women's Field, Feb. 10
Sam Novak – Men's Freshman, Feb. 10
 
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