It was a busy Sunday for Pennsylvania's newest star. Avery Lewis clocked a PA No. 4 all-time performance of 23.91 in the 200 meters, but she also took down a PA state record that has stood for 30 years.
At the VA Showcase, Lewis leapt a best of 20 feet, 8 inches on her final attempt in the long jump to close out a monster series on the runway. That jump of 20-8 breaks Dawn Burrell's 1991 indoor state record of 20-2-.5 -- a record that was set long before Lewis was born.
Burrell, who competed for Penn Wood, won gold in the long jump at the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships and qualified for the Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, where she placed tenth.
Besides Burrell and now Lewis, Breana Gambrell, now at Penn State, was the only other PA girl to have jumped over 20 feet in the long jump. Gambrell jumped a best of 20-1.5 in 2018.
Lewis officially broke the record on her fifth attempt, putting down a jump of 20-4.75. She let loose on her final attempt and bettered that by over three inches. Before that, Lewis put down clean jumps all in the high 19-foot range.
Event 76 Girls Long Jump Invitational
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Name Year School Finals
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Finals
1 Lewis, Avery Unattached 20-08.00
19-09.50 19-09.50 19-08.75 19-11.75 20-04.75 20-08
2 Stapleton, Tess Unattached 19-06.75
FOUL 19-01.75 19-06.75 FOUL 19-04.50 FOUL
3 Foreman, Jada Unattached 19-05.00
17-10.25 19-05 19-01.50 18-01.75 18-04.25 19-00.25
4 Frye, Eddiyah Unattached 19-02.00
18-10.75 19-02 19-00 18-10.25 18-03.25 18-11.25
5 Brand, Brianna Unattached 18-11.50
FOUL 18-11.50 FOUL 18-07.50 18-07 FOUL
6 Saunders, Jahnelle Alojore Aerial 18-08.25
17-11.25 18-00.75 18-04.25 18-08.25 18-01.25 FOUL
7 Floriea, Paige Second Sole 18-07.25
18-02.25 18-07.25 FOUL 17-01.75 17-10 FOUL
8 Zwaanstra, Teagan Steadfast Tr 18-07.00
FOUL 18-05.25 FOUL 18-07 FOUL FOUL
9 Lonneman, Megan Valor Christian TC 18-01.00
18-01 17-02 17-09.25 FOUL 17-07.50 18-00.75
10 Taylor, Tia Mt. Airy Track Club 17-07.50
17-07.50 FOUL FOUL
11 Reece, Jasmyn Unattached 16-06.25
16-01.75 12-05.75 16-06.25
Lewis was competing for the North Carolina-based Run U Xpress this weekend, but Lewis is a freshman at Friends' Central in Wynnewood, PA.
Lewis already stood atop the state rankings in the long jump, with a best of 19-6 from the Hispanic Games last weekend. She beat that previous state-leading mark on all six of her jumps on Sunday.
This looks like it's just the beginning of what will be an exciting high school career for Lewis, a rising versatile talent to keep an eye on.
