TrackTown Summer Series returns in 2017 with two preliminary meets & New York final...

Katie Mackey (l) of the Brooks Beasts battled Oiselle's Kate Grace
in an exciting 1500m race at last summer's TrackTown Summer Series
(Paul Merca photo)

The TrackTown Summer Series, which made its debut last July at Eugene’s Hayward Field, returns to the national track & field calendar with two regional meets and a championship meet that will be contested on July 6th at New York’s Icahn Stadium, according to a press release posted by the Eugene-based TrackTown USA.

Similar to last year’s debut meet in Eugene, each of the three meets in the 2017 TrackTown Summer Series will focus on scored competition between the teams representing San Francisco, Portland, Philadelphia and New York City.

TrackTown USA president Vin Lananna announced the dates of the two preliminary meets will be June 29th at a yet-to-be determined venue in the Bay Area, and at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon (a suburb of Portland) on July 2nd.

According to Ken Goe of The Oregonian, the four teams will retain some of the athletes who represented them last year, and that the rosters will be filled out through a draft.

Several athletes with Washington ties competed in last year’s meet, including Washington alums Katie Mackey and Baylee Mires of the Brooks Beasts and Mel Lawrence, Rainier Beach HS grad Michael Berry; Cas Loxsom & Riley Masters of the Brooks Beasts; Seattle’s Phoebe Wright and Seattle Pacific alums McKayla Fricker and Jessica Tebo.

Tebo won the 4-mile road race, while Fricker and Lawrence were part of the winning San Francisco team.

The coaches, general managers, and team investors will be revealed at a future date.

NOTE:  TrackTown USA contributed to this report.