Girls high school competition includes 14 athletes with 13-foot clearances, with a pair of 17-foot performers in boys field scheduled to vault at annual event in Reno

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The elite girls high school competition Saturday at the UCS Spirit National Pole Vault Summit at the Reno Livestock Events Center features one of the deepest fields in event history, led by West Seattle WA senior Chloe Cunliffe and Mounds View MN senior Julia Fixsen.

With 14 athletes entered with a personal-best clearance of at least 13 feet, the Georgia-bound Fixsen and Cunliffe, a Washington State signee, will be among several competitors looking to produce the first 14-foot indoor clearance by a prep female at the Pole Vault Summit since Tori Anthony of Castilleja CA in 2007.

Katie Veith of Homestead IN is the only other prep female athlete to clear 14 feet at the Pole Vault Summit in 2006.

Riley Floerke of Gregory-Portland TX, a Baylor commit, boasts a 13-9 outdoor clearance from last year, but is looking for a significant improvement on her indoor best of 11-11.75.

Santa Catalina senior Laurel Wong, the defending California high school champion and Stanford signee, leads a strong group of entries from her state.

Clovis West senior Elizabeth Funk, Presentation senior Isabella Grant, Carondelet junior Kelly Kern and Westlake sophomore Paige Sommers all boast impressive outdoor clearances, but are looking to gain significant indoor experience against one of the deepest prep fields in the country this year.

Funk has signed with San Diego State and Grant is headed to UCLA.

West Forsyth NC senior Lindsay Absher, Stafford VA senior Gennifer Hirata and Jefferson Forest VA senior Gracie Jauch all have indoor and outdoor bests of 13 feet or higher.

Absher has committed to Purdue, Hirata has signed with South Dakota and Jauch is joining Fixsen as part of Georgia’s impressive recruiting class.

Seven athletes with at least 16-foot clearances are entered in the boys elite high school competition Saturday, led by 17-foot performers Nathan Stone of Lawrence North IN, an Indiana University signee, and Simon Seung Park of South Eugene OR.

El Paso Coronado TX senior Grant Levesque, a Rice commit, boasts indoor and outdoor clearances of at least 16-5 and Rancho Bernardo CA senior Jacob Rice cleared 16-3 outdoors last season, looking for a big boost with his indoor personal best.

The winners of last year’s high school elite competitions, Sondre Guttormsen of Davis Senior CA and Reagann LeLeux of New Iberia Catholic LA, have both graduated after producing two of the best performances in event history.

Guttormsen, a UCLA freshman who is competing Friday in the USA vs. The World men’s global elite competition, cleared a California high school indoor state record 18 feet and LeLeux produced the all-time best Louisiana prep girls indoor mark of 13-10.