Knight surpasses 2010 high school standard with international implement by more than two feet, leading a group of five national prep leaders, including girls indoor pole vault state record by Cunliffe

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Ridgefield WA junior Trey Knight produced the all-time best performance by a high school athlete in the 35-pound weight throw Saturday at the Washington Indoor Preview meet, highlighting an impressive day for prep athletes competing against collegiate and professional performers at the Dempsey Indoor facility.

Knight produced a mark of 67 feet, 11.75 inches (20.72m) on his third attempt to surpass the 2010 standard of 65-8.25 (20.02m) set by Davis Fraker of McIntosh GA.

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Fraker had been the only prep athlete before Saturday to throw beyond 65 feet with the 35-pound implement, which is used in international competitions. Since Knight’s mark wasn’t measured with a steel tape, it wasn’t certified by officials for record purposes.

“I was feeling pretty good today. I woke up this morning thinking I was going to do it, so I was pretty happy I did,” said Knight, who placed second to 2017 USATF Indoor champion Alex Young at 75-2.50 (22.92m).

“In practice, I’d been feeling good in there and I figured, it’s about time. I just had to do it in a meet.”

Knight made the transition to four turns in the ring during the fall, in addition to working more with the 35-pound implement than the standard 25-pound weight used in high school meets. The offseason work paid dividends Saturday, as he finished ahead of 14 collegiate competitors.

“It’s feeling pretty good now and I’ve been getting more consistent with the timing, so I think it’s helping,” Knight said. “The first two throws, I was just going for the tempo. But the rest of the throws, I was just kind of really pushing it and I had to get the finish. On that (record throw), it felt pretty good and it went pretty far.

“Having that competition I think helped a lot, too. Last night I got pretty nervous, but this morning I felt pretty good. Right before it started, I kind of got a few more butterflies, but after the first throw, it all went away.”

Chloe Cunliffe, a senior at West Seattle, set the Washington state girls indoor pole vault record by clearing 13-9.25 (4.20m) on her first attempt to take over the national lead this year and equal the No. 12 all-time indoor prep performer.

“Training for me has been going really well. I was expecting to do a little better, but on Monday I had hurt my (right) wrist during practice,” said Cunliffe, whose previous indoor best was 12-10.75 (3.93m).

“It felt good at the beginning of the meet, but by the end it started to bother me pretty bad, which I feel like made it harder to plant.”

Reigning USATF Indoor champion Katie Nageotte won the competition with the best indoor opener of her career by clearing 15-3 (4.65m) on her second attempt to elevate to No. 2 in the world this year.

Cunliffe, representing Seattle Speed Track Club, finished second based on fewer misses against former San Diego State standout Kristen Brown, who finished fifth last year at USATF Indoors. Cunliffe, a Washington State signee, also beat 30 additional college and post-collegiate competitors, including two-time NCAA Division 1 outdoor champion Olivia Gruver of Washington.

“I definitely enjoyed vaulting with them. It was a great experience for me and to beat them felt pretty good,” Cunliffe said. “It was very intense for me, but they are very nice people, so it was pretty relaxed. I wasn’t that nervous because I know how to relax myself pretty well, but I definitely had a lot of adrenaline. With that good of competition, I was very motivated to perform my best.”

Chandler AZ senior Morgan Foster, a Stanford commit, finished fourth in the 1,000 meters in 2:48.10 to produce a new national high school leader, along with winning her section and placing third overall in the 600 in 1:31.82 to elevate to No. 2 in the country.

“This was the first indoor race of my high school career and my first time competing in the 1,000 and 600, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” Foster said. “My main focus coming into the race was the 1,000. The plan was to get out strong and relaxed and stick with the lead girls. The first 400 was a lot slower than I was expecting because no one wanted to take the lead. At the 400, the frontrunner dropped the hammer and I just tried to tuck in and follow the leader. The last 600 was a blur. I was very happy with my time and I know if I can run it again this season I can definitely drop my time.”

Foster’s 600 performance, which came less than three hours after the 1,000, trails only Governor Livingston NJ junior Victoria Vanriele, who ran 1:31.63 on Dec. 28 at the Coach Glynn Holiday Carnival in New York.

“I didn’t have many expectations going into the 600. I just wanted another race under my belt before Grand Prix,” said Foster, who is scheduled to run the mile Jan. 26 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Massachusetts.

“I was surprised at how good I felt during the first 200 and I knew I was going to be in the mix for the top spot. After the 400, I made my move to the front and I focused on finishing strong. This was a great start to my season and a big confidence booster going into Grand Prix.”

Benson OR junior Micah Williams took over the national high school lead in the men’s 60-meter dash final, clocking 6.67 seconds to place fourth in the final. Alexander Donigian of Seattle Speed, a former NCAA Division 2 All-American at Western Washington, won in 6.64.

Camas WA senior Daniel Maton, a Washington commit, also produced a national prep leader in the 800, clocking 1:51.88 to finish fifth. Former New Mexico star Josh Kerr, a first-year professional with the Brooks Beasts, won in 1:49.61.

Tahoma WA senior Aliya Wilson, representing Tahoma Track Club, finished third in the women’s 60-meter dash final in 7.46, propelling her to No. 2 in the country. Wilson, a Kentucky signee, also clocked 24.74 to place fourth in the 200, right behind Tahoma sophomore Adaji Osaro-Igwe in 24.69.

Oregon sophomore Jasmin Reed won the women’s 60 in 7.39 and fifth-year senior teammate Venessa D’Arpino prevailed in the 200 in 23.94.