Summer success for West Seattle High School track athletes

Thanks to West Seattle High School track and field head coach Will Harrison for sharing news of what he headlines as “stunning summer performances for WSHS track athletes”:

West Seattle HS Track and Field athletes rolled from national class spring WIAA track seasons into sizzling summer track seasons:

After capturing the 300-meter hurdles crown at the 3A State Meet to cap off his junior-year spring track season, Cass Elliott took home another state title at the 46th Annual Washington State Combined events Championship, held at Lake Stevens High School on June 2-3. Elliott won the 10-event decathlon with a score of 6008, which included winning the 400, 110 hurdles, Javelin, and 1500 outright against the top 32 athletes accepted into the meet. He would later improve his decathlon score to 6235 in July.

He next competed in the prestigious USA Track and Field Junior (U-20) Championships in Sacramento, California. As a 17-year-old junior, Elliott was up against a loaded field of the nation’s best high-school seniors and college freshman competing for a chance to finish in the top 2 and represent the U.S. at the 2017 Pan American Junior games in Peru. Elliott wound up 9th with a stunning time of 52.07 seconds. For perspective, that time that would have placed 6th in the PAC-12 Championships this season.

Most recently, he competed at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Lawrence, Kansas, where athletes compete in 2-year age brackets. Elliott finished runner-up at the in the 17-18 category with a time of 52.14. He also took 2nd last year in the 15-16 division.

Cunliffe Regains Washington All-Time Sophomore Record

(Cunliffe with Coach Tim Reilly after the Junior Olympic Regional)

Sophomore star Chloe Cunliffe temporarily held the sophomore class, all-classification, all-time state record in the Pole Vault after clearing 12 feet, 9 inches back in April at the Pasco Invite before fellow sophomore, Eastlake’s Ellie Talius broke the record by jumping 13’1 at the 4A District II meet. By clearing 13’1.5 at the Junior Olympic Regional in Spokane on June 25th, Cunliffe narrowly regained the top spot in the record book.

Fortunately, the WIAA does indeed count summer marks for state records. And coincidentally, Cunliffe’s mark also would have placed 6th in the PAC-12 college ranks this year, like Elliott’s. She competed this summer with Seattle Speed TC and NW Pole Vault.

Also Notable

Other notable summer performances from West Seattle Track Athletes were junior Joe Kirk-Woodbury (above) placing 16th in the hammer throw (156’11) and 30th in shot put (44’7.5) in the 17-18 Division at National Junior Olympic Championships, and graduated senior Abdullahi Ali qualified for Junior Olympic Nationals by nationals by placing 7th at the regionals in Spokane in the 110 Meter Hurdles (15.74 seconds). Both athletes competed with High Voltage TC.

2 Replies to "Summer success for West Seattle High School track athletes"

  • MD August 8, 2017 (5:43 am)

    Doesn’t surprise me about Cunliffe. Her entire family is gifted athletically. Sister Hannah is NCAA champion at Oregon for 60M indoor and holds collegiate record. Congrats to all West Seattle athletes! Yay Westside!

    • mm August 8, 2017 (1:28 pm)

      Right. Sister Hannah went to Federal Way HS, brother (who graduated a year ago) played basketball at Rainier Beach HS and now also plays in college. Parents definitely know what they’re doing. 

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