From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Nobody has come within a foot and a half of Carol Lewis’s South Jersey long jump record and there’s a pretty good chance nobody ever will.

It’s one of those records that’s so preposterous you just kind of take it for granted.

But 40 years ago, as a junior at Willingboro, Lewis jumped a state-record and U.S. all-time No. 2 21-7 3/4 in a meet in Philadelphia.

Lewis’s mark made her No. 2 in U.S. history, behind only Kathy McMillan of Hoke County High School in Raeford, N.C., who had jumped 22-3 in 1976. Both McMillan and Lewis went on to become Olympians.

When Carol jumped her 21-7 3/4, it was at the Liberty Bell Classic at Franklin Field and she was second to McMillan, who jumped 21-9 3/4.

To this day, Lewis’s 21-7 3/4 remains No. 6 in U.S. scholastic history. McMillan, who jumped 21-10 or better five times as a prep, finally lost her national record in 2015, when Kate Hall of Lake Region High in Naples, Maine, jumped 22-5 at the National Scholastic Outdoors in Greensboro, N.C.

Hall went on to become an NCAA long jump champ (and indoor dash All-America) at Georgia.

Lewis went on to jump 7.04 meters in Zurich in 1985, which remains No. 6 in U.S. history. Neither McMillan or Hale jumped farther after high school than they did in high school. Both are ranked among the top-30 in U.S. history with their H.S. PR’s.

Let’s look at the progression of the South Jersey long jump record starting out when Lewis first claimed it at the 1978 Penn Relays from Glassboro’s Anna Stewart, who jumped 18-10 1/4 at the 1977 South Jersey Group 1 at Pennsauken.

19-0 1/4 … April 27, 1978 – Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 19-0 1/4
19-8 3/4 … April 26, 1979 – Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 19-8 3/4
20-1 … June 7, 1979 – Meet of Champions, Palmer Stadium, Princeton
20-7 1/4 … July 6, 1979 – U.S.- USSR Junior Meet, Nickerson Field, Boston University
21-7 3/4 … April 24, 1980 – Penn Relays, Franklin Field

It was also at Penn in 1978 that Lewis broke the previous state record of 18-11 set in 1977 by Lakewood’s Julie Smithers.

The closest any South Jersey jumper has come to Carol since 1980 is Cherry Hill East’s Teneacia Smith, who jumped 20-0 1/2 to win the 1992 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.

State-wide, the closest anybody has come is triple jump Olympian Keturah Orji of Mount Olive, who jumped 20-11 3/4 at the 8th annual 2013 World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, in 2013.

Since the top-50 went down to 18-2 3/4 I just listed all 75 18-foot jumpers that I could find. Omissions or errors please leave me a message in the comment’s section!

S.J. all-time girls outdoor long jump top-50

21¬-7 ¾ …… Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1980
20¬-0 ½ ….. Teneacia Smith [Cherry Hill East], 1992
19-11 ½ … Kathy Rankins [Haddon Heights], 1980
19-11 ½ …. Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2018
19-9 ¼ ….. Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2013
19-7 ½ ….. Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1993
19-4 ¾ …… Gabrielle Farquharson [Williamstown], 2011
19-4 ………. Emily Carson [Haddonfield], 2012
19-3 ………. Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2017
19-2 ¾ …….Asia Young [Holy Spirit], 2016
19-2 ½ ….…Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 2015
19¬-2 ………. Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 2018
19¬-2 ………. Robin Taylor [Deptford], 1980
19¬-1 ……….. Nena Moore [Cherry Hill West], 1995
19-1 ………. Yvonne Wolef [Middle Twp.], 2012
19-0 ¼ …… Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2016
18-11 1/2 … Tisifenee Taylor [Woodbury], 2002
18-11 3/4 … Shaytika Bryant [Bridgeton], 1995
18-11 ……… Vashti Hannah [Cumberland Reg.], 2015
18-10 ¾ … Shameeka Marshall [Oakcrest], 2001
18-10 1/2 … Karissa Watson [Williamstown], 2019
18-10 1/4 … Anna Stewart [Glassboro], 1977
18-10 1/4 … Demya Walker [Rancocas Valley], 1984
18-10 …….. Shana Williams [Bridgeton], 1989
18-9 1/2 … Frances Bundy [Pleasantville], 1999
18-9 1/4 … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2015
18-9 …….. Shameka Speed [Bridgeton], 2002
18-8 3/4 … Tacqyaya Tobias [Our Lady of Mercy], 2011
18-8 1/2 … Rachel Armstead [Millville], 2015
18-8 1/2 … Tina Walls [Williamstown], 1982
18-8 1/2 … Jessica Bryant [Cherry Hill East], 2016
18-7 1/2 … Sable Loper [Woodrow Wilson], 2005
18-7 …….. Jamie Walker [Haddon Heights], 2007
18-7 …….. Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2018
18-6 ¾ … Artrelia Turner [Woodrow Wilson], 1986
18-6 ½ … Kristina Matthews [Bordentown], 1998
18-6 ½ … Tina Johnson [Burlington Twp.], 1996
18-5 ¾ … Javona Ford [Millville], 2010
18-5 ¾ … Sydnee Pierce [Rancocas Valley], 2010
18-5 ¾ … Janiyah Davis-Hines [Timber Creek], 2016
18-5 ¼ … Bryanna Craig [Millville], 2019
18-4 ½ … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
18-4 ¼ … Kierston Johnson [Oakcrest], 2017
18-3 ¾ … Faith Nichols [Bridgeton], 1997
18-3 ¼ … Frances Bundy [Pleasantville], 1999
18-3 …… Felicia Graham [Oakcrest], 1990
18-3 …… Serifat Juniat ??? [Camden Catholic], 2007
18-3 …… Lindzey Mosely [Cumberland Reg.], 2015
18-3 …… Brittany Clybourn [Oakcrest], 2006
18-3 …… Dennisha Page [Woodrow Wilson], 2019
18-2 ¾ … Tanisha Jarrett [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
18-2 ½ … Beth Johnson [Cinnaminson], 1983
18-2 ½ … Sonja Bennett [Edgewood], 1985
18-2 ½ … Brianna McGrath [Winslow Twp.], 2012
18-2 ½ … Sabrina Burrell [Delsea Reg.], 2012
18-2 …… Maria Muse [Willingboro], 1979
18-2 …… Jessica [West Deptford], 2005
18-2 …… Jaye Pollard [Penns Grove], 2014
18-2 …… Sophia Gresham [Ocean City], 2018
18-1 ¾ … Kerri Hobbs [Lenape], 1986
18-1 ½ … Angel Roots [Kingsway], 1985
18-1 ½ … Kiara Lester [Deptford], 2014
18-1 ¼ … Dawn Harris [Paul VI], 1989
18-1 …… Samantha Sweeney [Cherokee], 1999
18-1 …… Jasmin Jones [Kingsway], 2015
18-0 ¾ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2010
18-0 ¾ … Ty Horne [Northern Burlington Reg,], 2016
18-0 ½ … Annie Taft [Bishop Eustace], 2004
18-0 ½ … Siani Smith [Burlington Twp.], 2018
18-0 ½ … Janell Rowe [Sterling], 2017
18-0 ¼ … Shaquonda Meylor [Woodrow Wilson], 2006
18-0 …… Lynn Pike [Pemberton], 1985
18-0 …… Maya Yiadon [Glassboro], 1994
18-0 …… Shonda Burroughs [Vineland], 1999
18-0 …… Cheryl Scott [Paul VI], 2002
18-0 …… Shanavia Thomas [Willingboro], 2009