New Haven — The crossbar jiggled as Norwich Free Academy senior Paige Martin cleared 12 feet, 9 inches and, for less than a second, seemed like it might stay on its standards.

The bar would fall off, however, as Martin let out a quick scream before plopping into the landing mat.

It was a rare moment in which things didn’t go super for Martin at Saturday’s CIAC State Open indoor track and field championships. She cleared a personal best 12-6 and beat her own Open record that she set last year by 5½ inches.

“I thought I had it,” Martin smiled about her attempt at 12-9. “I saw it (the bar) and it was still on there and was like, ‘no way’. Then it fell and I was like, ‘okay.’

“(It’s) not a bad day when you equal your PR.”

Martin was one of two area winners. Stonington senior Rhys Hammond won the boys’ 1,000 meters with a time of 2 minutes, 28.66 seconds. It was his latest state championship as he won a Class M boys’ soccer title in the fall. He won the Class M title in the 1,000 and anchored the winning 1,600 sprint medley relay team.

“The soccer season was really special,” Hammond said. “To experience that with that group of guys was all I could’ve asked for. It was a great start (to my senior) season. Track season has been going pretty well so far, too.”

Glastonbury beat out Weston, 54-37, to win its third Open girls’ title. NFA finished ninth (19).

Class S champion Bloomfield breezed to its second men’s Open title with 56 points. Bristol Central and Wilbur Cross tied for second (20 points).

NFA tied for 12th (13 points), Stonington tied for 13th (12) and Windham tied for 18th (10).

Weston senior Elise Russell and Martin were the final two standing in the pole vault after both cleared 12 feet. The bar, raised in increments of six inches, was raised to 12-6. Russell missed on her first try.

Martin cleared it on her first try moments later, but Russell failed on her final two attempts.

“I’m happy with my performance today,” Russell said. “(Martin is) an awesome competitor. … I really honored to be competing with her.”

Martin elected to raise the bar to 12-9 and try to beat the indoor state record (12-7) set by Weston’s Emily Savage at the 2013 Class S meet.

Martin’s best attempt was on her third and final try. She hopes to clear 13 feet before the end of the indoor season and will have her chance at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in New York City from March 13-15.

“I really want to beat the indoor state record,” Martin said. “It would be very cool. We’ll see.

“It took me four years to get where I am through all the amazing coaches I have and all my teammates. … It took me four years to get where I am. Four years of just moving up slowly.”

Hammond was the top seed in the 1,000 and pulled away from Matthew Jennings of Haddam-Killingworth on the final leg, using the sun and the windows to gauge his lead.

“There’s a spot over there (on the last turn) where you can see the shadows, so that what was I was looking at,” Hammond said. “Got to kick it (on that turn). I gave it all I had in the last lap.”

Stonington hoped to add a 1,600-sprint medley championship as it was the top seed in that event but was disqualified on a lane violation. It would’ve finished second had it not been penalized.

NFA’s Madison Martin was fourth in the pole vault and teammate Hannah Elliot sixth. Both cleared 10-6. Makayla Kelley, Catherine Shannon, Sophia Jones and Kayla Park also finished fourth in the 4x800 relay (9:32.52) for the Wildcats.

In the boys’ meet, NFA’s Osaretin Osagie was runner-up in the 55 hurdles and Justin Costick of placed fourth in the high jump (6-2).

Stonington’s Chase Flynn took fifth in the 600 (1:24.18) and Andrew Cote of NFA was sixth (1:24.53)

There were two other Open records set. Conard sophomore Gavin Sherry ran the 3,200 in 8:54.47, crushing the previous record set by Fairfield Prep’s Christian Alvarado in 2014 (9:07.63).

Sherry has enjoyed a mercurial first season in track after swimming last season. His 3,200 time is the fastest in the nation according to times in the athletic.net data base. He also ran a national-best 9:02.58 in the 2-mile run at January's New Balance Games.

Tess Stapleton of Fairfield Ludlowe topped a 21-year old record in the 55 hurdles (8.04 seconds). Hillhouse’s Keisha Houghton was the previous record-holder (8.11, 1999).

n.griffen@theday.com