Camas WA Vaulter PRs By Nine Inches To Surpass Casey Carrigan As Washington's All-Time Record Holder

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Becky Holbrook Photo

Chase McGee's chase of the Washington all-time best in the boys pole vault reached a crescendo on Tuesday in a low-key dual meet at Camas High. 

McGee cleared 17-5, good for US#3, but more importantly it broke the oldest field event record on the books in Washington state.

Trail-blazing high school vaulter Casey Carrigan of Orting, who made the U.S. Olympic team as a teen sensation in 1968, left high school with a best of 17-4.50 as a senior in 1969 that stood as the nationl record for 11 years. It's been the Washington state best ever since. 

Carrigan, a retired firefigheter in San Diego, was inducted into the National High School Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2019. He was a Mondo Duplantis-type figure as a high schooler, at least in his teens. After he cleared 17-4.75 he took three solid attempts at a world record height of 17-10.50. 

McGee, who won the Arcadia Invitational pole vault, came into the week with a best of 16-8. 

Tuesday, he made first attempts at 15-6 and 16-3 and then needed three tries to make his first PR bar at 17-1. 

Then he stared down the runway at his ultimate goal, 17-5. 

"I have had the numbers 17-5 written in my room all over the place. It's written on my shoes. I've been manifesting it for a long time," McGee said. 

He made it on his first try, to a raucous reaction from his friends and teammates. 

"It's my biggest accomplishment," he said. "It was pretty darn exciting. This is what I've been wanting."

McGee, who is a Montana State commit, will vault again on Friday at the Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays. 

He took attempts at 17-8 to end the day.

"I had two really close attempts and the last one the adrenaline was gone," McGee said.

He had researched Carrigan and his achievements in the 1960s. 

"When I was down at Arcadia, I was looking up all that stuff (online) about him," he said.

Tuesday turned out to be the day, but there is still more to be had. 

"I want to put that record up a little higher," McGee said. "Hopefully at Jesuit there is a big crowd and a lot of energy."