HIGH CEILING — Wasilla junior jumping for state best

WASILLA — It didn’t take long for Ceil Dunleavy to jump to the state’s best.

Now a junior, the Wasilla High School standout already has two state titles and three Region III championships in the 4A girls’ high jump to her credit.. Dunleavy is also flirting with the oldest mark in the Alaska girls’ track and field record book.

Former Soldotna High School standout Renae Pickarsky hit a mark of 5 feet, 6 inches, in 1983, a jump that still stands as the record. Dunleavy is ready to etch her name in the record books. She’s hit 5-6 in three outdoor meets already. Dunlevy cleared the mark at the Brian Young Invitational, a postseason event, as a sophomore. This year, the junior hit 5-6 at the Homer and Palmer invites. But for the mark to be recognized as a record, it must be obtained in the state meet.

Friday, Dunleavy will have a chance to jump for history during the first day of the ASAA /First National Bank State Track and Field Championships at Dimond High School in Anchorage.

“It’s approachable for her for sure,” Wasilla track and field coach John Paramo said of Dunleavy hitting marks of 5-6 and beyond. “She’s got goals to go up. She likes to compete.”

Paramo said Dunleavy’s competitive edge is among the attributes that help set her apart.

“She’s a gamer. She shows up to compete,” Paramo said.

Dunleavy has been honing her craft since she first tried the high jump as a fifth grader at Shaw Elementary.

“I thought I’d try it since no one else is doing it,” Dunleavy said.

Now, Dunleavy is having success in the event like few others in Alaska. Dunleavy is one of two 4A jumpers to hit 5-4 in a region meet last weekend. South Anchorage’s Zoey Keene also won an individual region title with a leap of 5-4. Colony standout Chase Stephens hit 5-2 to finish as the runner-up in the Region III Championships.

As a freshman, Dunleavy became the second athlete in school history to win a state title in the high jump. In 1984, Christine Lentz, then a sophomore at Wasilla High, captured a title with a mark of 5-4. The school record was initially set by Libby Welch, a mark of 5-6, in 1980.

It’s a school record Dunleavy now shares with Welch. She hit the mark twice as a sophomore. Dunleavy said she didn’t expect to have that type of success as an underclassman.

“Last year when I hit 5-6 I was blown away,” Dunleavy said.

Friday, Dunleavy will have her chance to jump into the history books. Not only does she have a shot at the state record, but Dunleavy could become the first athlete to win the 4A girls’ high jump three times at the state meet.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.