But she never caught the running bug and might have given up track if she hadn’t switched to high-jumping.
She eventually posted a personal best of 5-2, which probably wouldn’t have attracted the attention of colleges if she weren’t dripping with potential.
Wright State coach Rick Williamson called her — while she was taking her senior pictures on the school’s track — and invited her to join the Raiders.
“I was in complete shock. I thought track was going to be over once I graduated from high school. I trained with (assistant Jeff) Ross once I committed. And in my very first collegiate meet, I tied the high-jump record for Wright State.
“That’s when I kind of realized, ‘Oh, I guess I can be pretty good at this.’”
Lively surpassed the “pretty good” stage long ago. She captured the Horizon League high-jump title at Oakland on Sunday by clearing 1.69 meters (about 5 feet, 6½ inches) without a miss.
The junior from Hillsboro beat past league champion Julia Pohl, who had to drop out with an ankle issue. But Williamson believes Lively would have kept raising the bar.
She set the school record at 1.75 meters (5-9) at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Classic last month.
She had one miss at an HL-record 1.76 and didn’t try again.
“When Julia had to pull out, that kind of took some of the steam out of Cierra. But she certainly looked great up to that point,” Williamson said.
Lively — with her mom, Christina Chlopik, and younger brother Camden in the stands as always — went from finishing eighth in the outdoor league meet as a freshman to fourth as a sophomore to being the team’s lone individual champion this spring.
“She’s been so consistently good, indoor and outdoor. She’s just jumping at a different level, which is great to see,” said Williamson, who is in his eighth year. “Jeff Ross has done a great job with her.”
Lively is currently ranked 40th in the NCAA East Region and will compete at the University of Kentucky at the end of the month for a chance to advance to the nationals.
“I don’t know where I’d be without coach Ross. It’s so great to have a coach who cares so much about wanting you to succeed,” she said.
“He’s always told me, ‘You’re not a real high-jumper until you jump over your height.’ Well, I’ve jumped my height!”
Hannah Falknor, a freshman from Troy, was third in the 100 in 11.85, breaking the school record that was held by All-American Cassandra Lloyd and Heather Parrish.
A half-hour later, she took fourth in the 200 at 25.89.
“For her to beat any record held by Cassandra is pretty amazing,” Williamson said. “It’s kind of shocking how fast she is.”
Senior Kaitlyn Miller was second in the 3000-meter steeplechase and sixth in the 5K run.
The Raider women finished seventh and the men eighth.
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